Home Cooking New York’s Hudson Valley Classes
June 2, 16, 17, 19, 29. Join Chef-Instructor Jennifer Clair for June’s classes: Vegan Cooking for Everyone, Fresh Pasta Workshop, and How to Cook Shellfish. Each two hour long class is held at Clair’s country kitchen in Beacon and includes a complete recipe packet and a sit-down dinner. There is a maximum of seven student per class. Classes are $60, sign up and check for times on the website.
(917) 803-6857; www.homecookingny.com.
Rondout Business Association Wine Cruise
June 3. Sail away on the Rip Van Winkle for a night filled with wine, music, and food on the Rondout Business Association Wine Cruise to raise funds for Kingston’s annual fireworks display. Madden’s Fine Wines and Spirits will be donating over 15 varieties of wine and Ship to Shore, Savona’s Trattoria, Mole Mole, and Mariners’ Harbor will provide hors d’oeuvres. There will be a 50/50 raffle and music performed by jazz duo The Stillwell Project. The cruise is from 6pm to 8pm. Tickets are $40. ( 845) 340-4700; www.hudsonrivercruises.com.
Curing Meat at Home
Chronogram food writer Peter Barrett is teaching a series of classes in Woodstock on artisanal cooking techniques like pickling, curing, and baking to help people reconnect with some very tasty traditions. The next class will be on curing meat at home, and takes place on June 5, from 10am to 1pm. $60 per person. Class size is limited to 6 people. Reservation required. [email protected].
Solar Cooking Demonstration
June 5. Come see how delicious solar cooking can be with Dolores Weis, executive director of Solar Cookers International and Woodstock’s Mary Frank, an artist and solar cooker activist. There will be cooking demonstrations and tastings at 2pm in the garden behind the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum followed by educational videos and discussion inside at 4pm. After you’re hooked, everything you need to become a solar cook will be on sale. Rain date: June 6. (845) 679-7644; www.woodstockart.org.
Meatless Mondays at Swoon Kitchen Bar
June 7, 14, 21, 28. Swoon Kitchen Bar is offering up a four-course vegetarian tasting menu in addition to their regular menu each Monday as part of the international Meatless Mondays campaign. (518) 822-8938; www.swoonkitchenbar.com.
Wine & Food Sampling Series at Locust Grove
June 10. Alfred Casella of Babycakes Cafe in Poughkeepsie is June’s featured chef at Locust Grove’s Sunset Sensations series, held the second Thursday of the month through November. Inspired by the estate’s heirloom vegetable garden, each occasion includes hors d’oeuvres highlighting fresh vegetables from the estate’s heritage gardens, cooking demonstrations, a garden tour, and wine pairing presentations by Bob Brink, the fine wine manager at Arlington Wines & Liquor. Locust Grove, Poughkeepsie. Tickets are available for $26 per person. Reservations required. (845) 454-4500; www.lgny.org.
Summer Solstice Lobster Bake
June 19. Celebrate the solstice at the Millbrook Winery with a classic New England lobster bake, with dinner served al fresco with all the trimmings: shrimp, clams, corn on the cob, and, of course, lobster—all paired with Millbrook wines on the vineyard’s picturesque 130-acre estate. Dinner is served at 6pm. (845) 677-8383; www.millbrookwine.com.
Around the World on the Shawangunk Wine Trail
June 19 and 20. Travel the globe without having to take off your shoes at airport security. But you will need a “passport” for this annual event as 11 wineries on the Shawangunk Wine Trail in Ulster and Orange counties convert themselves into different “countries.” Passports include a souvenir wine glass and visas to enter each country. At every destination, you’ll enjoy national and ethnic dishes paired with Shawangunk wines. Self-guided tours are from 10am to 6pm. Passports are $27 with preregistration and $35 day of the event. www.shawangunkwinetrail.com.
