Drop the s’more and take that hot dog off the stick — one of the hottest trends in summer camp has kids whipping up haute cuisine.

Chef Chris goes organic tonight at the 9

Vintage Virginia, the state’s oldest outdoor wine tasting, will hold it’s 27th annual festival at Bull Run Regional Park in Centerville on Saturday and Sunday.

On a recent afternoon dozens of locavores could be seen gathering in the parking lot of Woodbrook Elementary School. 

Wintergreen Winery in Nellysford will present its annual Memorial Weekend Celebration from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

May is the month many European gourmets live for. It is asparagus month, and Allan and I were fortunate to be there at that time on several occasions. Many restaurants had whole menus consisting of asparagus in various forms at each course. We even experienced a tart lemon asparagus souffle for dessert.

Ash Lawn prepares for 14th annual WineFest

Ash Lawn-Highland’s 14th annual WineFest will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

White Fences Winery will join the lineup of vintners this year, offering complimentary samples and selling wines by the bottle.

Spry’s will offer hearty fried fish and Carolina barbecue.

Sue Charney and Kelly Michelsen decided to market their culinary skills about six years ago and, frankly, they have a pretty sweet deal.

Some travelers heading to Beijing this summer to attend the Olympics also will make a side trip to Japan. 

Pizza Bella serves up special brunch for Mom

Ted Allen boarded a plane Tuesday to find out who will make the final cut on “Top Chef.”

A recent segment of television news showed people at Sam’s in Atlanta buying bags upon bags of rice — it used to be called hoarding. Last week an article in the Wall Street Journal also talked about the shortage of rice, in part due to poor harvest in Thailand and Cambodia.

Of the three ancient cuisines, Chinese, Greek and Roman, we are probably most familiar with that of Rome. Although much has been written about Roman art, architecture and government, early food writings of Rome are sparse.

Men Who Cook prepare real treat for MACAA
The 21st annual Men Who Cook will be from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday at the Doubletree Hotel to raise funds for the Monticello Area Community Action Agency.
More than 50 men will serve up their best recipes, including Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo, Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Claude Worrell and many other community members.
There will be a silent auction, music and guest volunteers, including youths from the Project Discovery program.
Tickets are $75 and can be purchased online at http://www.macaa.org or by phone at 295-3171.

The bottle’s label features a profile of a distinguished gentleman enjoying a cigar and gazing into the distance. Restaurateur Mark Brown recently directed a visitor’s attention past the picture of Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle to the bourbon within. What the owner of the Upstairs restaurant on the Downtown Mall wanted to point out was the liquor’s hue.

If you don’t know what to make of a raw turnip, much less a robust rutabaga or bulbs of fennel, help is at hand.

When Jennifer Bowman received an order for 525 cupcakes, she didn’t start warming the oven.
The founder and chef executive officer of Jenni B Originals is in the business of making what she calls “the best desserts you’ll never eat.” She specializes in creating zero-calorie faux dessert items ranging from cupcakes to full-sized cakes with nonperishable cherries on top.

Here’s the most important thing you need to know about making an omelet: If you mess it up, don’t worry. “It’s just an egg,” Andrew Melton said. “Don’t cry. Keep trying.” We already like this guy, and he hasn’t even started cooking.

What was once a glorified hayfield in North Garden is being transformed into an award-winning boutique vineyard of more than 2,000 vines.