The Pennsylvania Beef Council recently announced the regional winners of the 2005 Beef Backer Contest, which honors independent and chain food-service operations that go the extra mile in marketing beef and emphasizing it on menus.
The three will receive a formal presentation and award plaque to display at their operations. They also are eligible for national judging next February at the beef industry's annual convention.
They are:
Details: PA Beef Council, 717-939-7000
'Everyday Italian' author set to visit Borders
Giada De Laurentiis -- a trained chef and host of Food Network's "Everyday Italian" -- will be visiting Borders Book Music Movies & Cafe, 200 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, to sign her best-selling cookbook, "Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes" (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, $30).
The event begins at noon on Monday. Admission is free.
Details: 412-374-9772
Frick cafe slates harvest wine dinner
The Cafe at the Frick has scheduled a four-course harvest wine dinner on Friday. The menu includes a roasted autumn terrine featuring rabbit pate and mustard horseradish; a salad of roasted black Mission figs with fromage blanc and pancetta; a choice of Elysian Fields rack of lamb or Arctic char; and roasted pumpkin spice cake. Each course is paired with a complementary wine.
The cost is $90 per person, inclusive. Seatings are at 6 and 8 p.m. Reservations are required.
The cafe is at The Frick Art & Historical Center, 7227 Reynolds St., Point Breeze.
Details: 412-371-0600, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week
Game cooking experts to sign books
Hunting enthusiasts Steve and Gale Loder, of Cranberry, will be offering samples of venison dishes and signing their cookbooks -- a three-part, self-published series called "Quality Venison" -- at five regional stores in October and November.
All of the events are from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Details: www.qualityvenison.com , gloder@zoominternet.net , or visit the stores' Web sites for more information
The Carlton schedules wine events
Four wine dinners have been announced by Kevin Joyce, proprietor of The Carlton restaurant, 1 Mellon Center, Grant Street, Downtown. Each begins at 6:30 p.m., and prices exclude gratuity. Reservations are required.
Details: 412-391-4099
Old-fashioned food events at Meadowcroft
Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Museum of Rural Life is sponsoring several food-related events for the public this fall.
Reservations are required for all the activities.
Details: 724-587-3412, www.meadowcroftmuseum.org
Shady Side academy fundraiser includes demos
Shady Side Cooks!, the annual fundraiser for Shady Side Academy Senior School, has been redesigned to offer patrons a chance to dine at one of 12 area restaurants, including a cooking demonstration and lunch.
The event is set for Oct. 27 and features Asiago, Common Plea Catering, Mallorca, Oakmont Country Club, Per Mie Figlia, Sonoma Grill, Typhoon, Vivo and Willow restaurants. Tickets are $75 per person. A private dinner at Eleven and gift baskets also will be raffled.
Proceeds benefit programs supported by the Shady Side Academy Senior School Parents' Association.
Details: 412-828-1153 or e-mail jcapr20896@aol.com .
Cooking expo to feature celebrity chefs
Good Taste! Pittsburgh Food and Cooking Expo, presented by Giant Eagle, is a culinary extravaganza set from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 29 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown.
The event will feature celebrity chefs, cooking demonstrations, cook-offs, new food and cooking products, food sampling, wine tasting and nutrition information from Judy Dodd, R.D., the supermarket's food and nutrition adviser.
Chef Rocco DiSpirito, host of NBC's "The Restaurant," a New York City restaurateur and cookbook author, will be among celebrity chefs doing demonstrations. Also presenting will be cookbook author and cooking instructor Linda West Eckhardt, WQED's Chris Fennimore, and two executive chefs -- Corey Hayes and Rick Laskie -- from the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp.
The Celebrity Chefs Stage is sponsored by the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
Tickets are $8 in advance, $12 at the door; children under 12 are admitted free. Group rates are available for 10 people or more.
Details:412-421-9859, www.goodtastepittsburgh.com , info@goodtastepittsburgh.com
Sara Moulton to sign books at In the Kitchen
Fans of Sara Moulton -- executive chef at Gourmet magazine and a host on the Food Network -- will want to mark their calendars for a "Meet and Greet" by Moulton from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at In the Kitchen, a kitchenware and specialty-foods store and cooking school in McCandless.
Moulton will be signing copies of her new book, "Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals" (Broadway, $29.95), which will be released Oct. 18. It features a collection of busy-night family favorites, including 200 recipes for quick and easy dinners.
Admission is free.
Details: 724-934-6160
Holiday teas set for Trax Farms
Trax Farms in Finleyville, Washington County, is sponsoring holiday teas during November and December, featuring herbal teas with savory and sweet treats. There are two seatings per day: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the cost is $15 a person. Reservations are required.
"Holiday Tea," to start off holiday shopping, is set for Nov. 12, followed by "Christmas Tea" on Dec. 17. A basket of Christmas items will be raffled at each event.
Details: 412-835-3246, www.traxfarms.com
