Upcoming Food Events (Jan. 6-17)

Sweet potatoes, oyster roasts, and more are on our agenda for the next few weeks

January 5, 2017

Sarah Nowicki,

Well, it's 2017. We all waved farewell to the interesting and, at time, tumultuous 2016. Luckily, we have plenty of food events already on the books to kick off this fresh start.

Sous Terrain: On Friday, January 6, from 6 to 8 p.m., head to Free Range Brewing for Sous Terrain, a photo series by Rémy Louis Thurston celebrating the sweet potato. The photos were created via the dishes put together by Charlotte's sous chefs and apprentices over the last six months, all featuring the sweet starch. According to Thurston, "the feel of the work has a dark, shadowed appeal that emulates the life of the sweet potato spent underground, again reflecting the life of the sous chef behind the line much of their culinary life." The name of the series, Sous Terrain, is a play on the French word "souterrain" which means underground. Head to Free Range to check out the photo series on Friday night; check the event page for more details.

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Cocktail Class: If your holiday party fell flat due to an inability to make cocktails, you're in luck. Level Co-Working is hosting a cocktail creating class on Friday, January 13, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Emily Elda will teach students how to make delicious drinks using herbs, spices, fruit, and other ingredients. Students will also receive take home recipes for the cocktails made in class; light refreshments will be served. Cost is $55 per person; buy tickets here.

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Blue Restaurant Cooking Classes: Want to learn to cook a few French classics to kick off 2017? On Saturday, January 14 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. students can learn to cook dishes like Croque Madame, Beef Bourgignon, and more with Chef Gene Briggs at Blue Restaurant in uptown. Cost is $44.95 per person and excludes tax and gratuity. Call 704-927-2583 to reserve your spot or visit the website.

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Four Seasons Wine Tasting Dinner: Itching to get out to a winery to kick off the new year? Raffaldini Vineyards will be hosting its next quarterly wine tasting dinner on Saturday, January 14. The menu will feature four seasonal food courses paired with four Raffaldini wines. Call 336-526-1078 or email info@raffaldini.com for more information or to make a reservation for this 21 and over event. Cancelations with a full refund are accepted up to seven days prior to the event.

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Reid's Fine Foods: Tis the season for oyster roasts, which always seem to coincide with the coldest winter weather. Reid's Fine Foods will host its own oyster roast on Saturday, January 14, from 4 p.m. until the oysters run out! There will also be plenty of beer specials, so brave the cold and head to the SouthPark location.

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Passion8’s James Beard Dinner: Make your reservations now for Chef Luca Annunziata’s and Chef Sylvain Rivet of Renaissance Patisserie’s James Beard rehearsal dinner on Tuesday, January 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Passion8. The reason for the rehearsal? The two Charlotte chefs will be joined by French master butcher, Marc Pauvert, of the Four Seasons in Baltimore as they present their dinner, “The Butcher, The Baker, and The Chef” at the James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village on January 27. Luckily for us in the Queen City, we get a sneak peek of the menu, which will feature a six-course menu including Gnocchetti Verdi (lamb ragu) with French classics like duck confit. To reserve your spot, call 704-910-3161 or visit the website. Cost is $75 per person.

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Charlotte Restaurant Week: Best mark your calendars now; Queen's Feast is coming back! More than 130 restaurants all across the Charlotte metro area will participate for the winter installment of the event which begins January 20 and runs through January 29. Restaurants participating will offer three-course dinners for only $30 or $35 per person not including tax and gratuity. Reservations are highly recommended; check out the full list of participating restaurants here!