Food Notes

By The Daily Progress Staff

Published: September 16, 2008

Pancake dinner is on the menu in Buckingham

Buckingham 4-H will have a pancake dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Buckingham Agricultural Center on Route 60 in Buckingham Courthouse.

The menu includes pancakes, sausage, bacon, milk, juice and coffee. There’s no charge for the meal, but donations will be accepted to offset the costs of sending adult volunteers to the Southern Region 4-H Volunteer Forum. Call 969-4261.

Lecture series begins today at UVa Darden School

The University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies will offer three lecture series this fall, and one is exploring local food.

“The Power of Food: Nutrition, Policy and Local Food’’ will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays from tonight through Oct. 29 at UVa’s Darden School.

The course will provide background and explore issues in nutrition, food systems and policies and the local food movement — each guided by an expert in the field. A field trip to a farm and a class on cooking, eating and preserving local foods are included.  Tuition is $135. Registration is required. Call 982-5316.

Annual Greek Festival returns to Washington

The Washington area’s oldest annual Greek Festival will be from noon to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church at the corner of 16th and Upshur streets in Washington.

The Ladies’ Society of Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church has presented authentic Greek fare at the festival for 48 years, preparing the food in two small church kitchens using recipes handed down for generations.

A la carte and dinner entrees will range from $10 to $2. Credit cards will be accepted. Admission and parking are free. Visit http://www.stsconstantine-helen.com or call (202) 829-2910.

Seafood Fest kicks off Isle of Wight’s celebration

The Isle of Wight County Fair will open with a Seafood Fest from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Fairgrounds at Heritage Park. Dinner will be served from 6 to 8 p.m., featuring seafood from Leon Nixon Catering. The Island Boy Band will perform.

Tickets are $25 and include all food and beverages. All tickets will be sold in advance, and none will be available at the door. To get tickets, visit http://www.thefairiscoming.com or call (757) 357-2291.

Barboursville wines on tap for Shenandoah feast

Senior executive chef Terry Sheehan will present a Shenandoah Seasonings Culinary Dinner Evening, a gala five-course dinner paired with wines from Barboursville Vineyards, at 6 p.m. Monday in the Conference Hall Building at Skyland Resort in Shenandoah National Park.

Sheehan will welcome the guests and introduce Barboursville representative Carter Nicholas.

The first course will be trap-caught Carolina shrimp dumplings paired with a 2007 Pinot Grigio. Second course is watermelon and cucumber salad paired with Riesling 2007.

A special rate of $199 for two people includes dinner and lodging, plus gratuities, taxes and surcharges. Space is limited, and reservations will close by noon Friday. Book online at http://www.visitshenandoah.com or call (800) 999-4714.

‘Stop the Press,’ there’s comedy at the winery

Chateau Morrissette will present Brack Llewellyn’s “Stop the Press’’ at 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

The comedy follows a struggling small newspaper in a seaside resort town as it tries to compete with a large, corporate-owned paper. Things look bleak until the top reporter uncovers a scandal including the town’s mayor and possibly one of her own staff members.

Tickets are $15, $12.50 in advance. Visit http://www.thedogs.com or call (540) 593-9218.

Winemakers take charge of dinner in Huntly

Rappahannock Cellars in Huntly will present a Harvest Winemakers’ Dinner at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Winemaker Jason Burrus and chef Katie Creveling will pair gourmet dining with fine wines. Reservations are required, and seating is limited to 25 people.

The event is $94, plus tax and 18 percent gratuity. Make reservations at (540) 635-9398.

Riverfest fundraiser is Sunday in King George

Friends of the Rappahannock will present the 18th annual “Rappahannock Riverfest’’ fundraiser from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Farley Vale Farm in King George, 12 minutes from downtown Fredericksburg. Riverfest is a fundraiser for the organization’s river advocacy, education and restoration programs.

The dinner buffet will open at 5 p.m., with fare including baby back ribs, rotisserie chicken and Chesapeake Bay blue crabs. Crabs will be served starting at 6 p.m.

Tickets are $85. Event details and sponsorship forms are available at http://www.riverfriends.org. For tickets, call (540) 373-3448.

From staff reports