 |
 |
 |
Now that the unofficial start of summer is behind us, kickstart the warm-weather season by hitting the top culinary events, tastings and workshops of the Main Line and beyond. Our recommendations on what you can’t miss lined up below.
From now until June 1, savor the classic flavors of Devon Horse Show & Country Fair. First begun in 1919, the annual event stocks all the old-fashioned snacks—cotton candy, lemon sticks, buckets of fudge, and more. The Devon Garden Cafe and Tea Cart are also top-notch picks when hitting the can’t-miss Main Line event.
We’ve been counting down the days until the area’s all-things-beer celebration returns. Philly Beer Week, unfolding May 30–June 8, will feature hundreds of festivals, dinners, tours, pub crawls, tastings and meet-the-brewer nights throughout the city of Brotherly Love and its surrounding suburbs. The 10-day festival kicks off with its biggest event, Opening Tap, on May 30, 7 p.m., with the official “first tap” by Mayor Michael Nutter. Opening Tap is also where beer lovers are given the rare opportunity to taste PBW 2014 collaborative beer, Philly Tripel, as brewed by Dock Street’s brewer Justin Low and Belgian brewer Anne-Catherine Dilewyns of Brouwerji Dilweyns in Dendermonde, Belgium.
Media’s Rose Tree Restaurant is gearing up to jumpstart its summer season by hosting a Deck Opening Party on May 31, 3–7 p.m. An old-fashioned barbecue and Conshohocken Brewing Co. will elevate the outdoor experience, available per person at just $25. Better yet, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Media-Upper Providence Free Library.
Enhance your salad-making expertise by attending Terrain’s upcoming workshop on June 1, 2–3:30 p.m. The vibrant Glen Mills site’s culinary specialist will recreate an assortment of flavorful salad dressings from artist Erin Gleeson’s vegetarian cookbook, the Forest Feast. After the workshop, guests will sample the results and take home a Weck jar of their favorite dressing. Terrain will also host an herb-infused workshop on June 19 that’ll focus of orange-scented Herbes de Provence salt.
Negroni week hits Avance bar from June 2–7. If you’re a lover of the classic cocktail that has made bitterness delightfully palatable, belly up to the hour and imbibe your share. Best of all, you’ll be sipping for a good cause as proceeds from every negroni ordered will go to The Food Trust.
In conjunction with Philly Beer Week, Devon’s Whole Foods Market will host the inaugural cHopped Competition on June 7, which pits four of area’s chefs against one another for an in-store cooking competition. All contestants are required to create a Yards beer-infused recipe on-site, using store-sourced ingredients. Competition unfolds noon–4 p.m.
The Brandywine Food & Wine Festival returns to West Chester’s Myrick Conservation Center on June 14, noon–6 p.m. As a premier showcase of the Brandywine Valley’s restaurants and wineries, get excited for attendees like Amani’s BYOB, Bangles Indian Cuisine, Jimmy’s BBQ, KaChi Truck, all Brandywine Valley Wine Trail members, and more. Cooking demos, craft vendors, live music and a photo booth will add to the experience.
Also on June 14, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., is the Humane League of Philadelphia’s first-ever VegFest, which will celebrate the city’s best vegetarian cuisine. Free and family-friendly, the food-focused affair will unfold at The Shambles in the Headhouse Square District. Cooking demos by PBS cooking show host Christina Pirello and chef Rachel Klein of Miss Rachel’s Pantry will also add to the experience of the inaugural veggie festival.
