There are some homes where the PBS is never not on, and those loyalists know about Steven Raichlen.
He’s been the host of many programs from the once-publicly funded channel (“Barbecue University,” “Primal Grill,” “Project Smoke,” “Project Fire”), and had bylines in Food & Wine, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, where his cookbooks have appeared on best-seller lists.
Raichlen, a self-proclaimed nice Jewish boy from Baltimore, has also won five James Beard awards for cookbooks like “BBQ USA” and “Healthy Jewish Cooking.”
The 73-year-old calls Florida home now and is on tour after finally cooking up a memoir—“Man on Fire: Of Life, Love, Literature, and Really Good Barbecue” due Oct. 20—that tracks his life from the early Charm City days to his transition from French literature nerd to acclaimed kitchen and TV-newspaper guy.
Raichlen comes to Tampa’s local PBS station, WEDU, for a night of BBQ (from Jimbo’s in Tampa), along with drinks, fire, and book signing.
All-inclusive tickets for the “Man on Fire” BBQ & book celebration with Steven Raichlen, happening Friday, Oct. 23 at WEDU PBS in Tampa, are still available for $87.21. See more food & drink events coming to Tampa Bay between Oct. 22-29 below.
Modern Greek Mezze (Night out cooking class) Thursday, Oct. 22. 6–9 p.m. $95. Foodie Labs, St. Petersburg. thefoodielabskitchen.com
Savor the Bay Chef Series Thursday, Oct. 22. 7 p.m. $65. Luma at SkyBeach Resort, St. Petersburg. lumastpete.com
Appy Hour Cooking Class – Taco Party Friday, Oct. 23. 4 p.m. $55. Foodie Labs, St. Petersburg. thefoodielabskitchen.com
Clearwater Greek Festival Friday-Sunday, Oct. 23-25. 11 a.m.; 12 p.m. Sunday. No cover. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Clearwater. clearwatergreekfest.com
St. Pete Boos & Booze Halloween Bar Crawl Saturday, Oct. 24. 4 p.m. $18.23 & up. Dublin Drop, St. Petersburg. barcrawlusa.com
Lunch with the Boobie Docs Sunday, Oct. 25. 11 a.m. $18 & up. Temple B’nai Israel, Clearwater. tbiclearwater.org
Master the Art of Charcuterie (Interactive workshop & tasting) Sunday, Oct. 25. 2 p.m. $40. Aspirations Winery, Clearwater. aspirationswinery.com
The Haunted Room 27: A Halloween Speakeasy Experience Select times Monday-Friday, Oct. 26–30. $10 & up. Fenway Hotel, Dunedin
Omakase Dinner Tuesday, Oct. 27. 5:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. $150. ro, Hyde Park
Blind Wine Tasting Wednesday, Oct. 28. 6 p.m. $85. Chateau Cellars, Tampa. givebutter.com
Lunch in the Gardens — Fall 2026 Thursday, Oct. 29. 11 a.m. $175 & up. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota
Night Out Cooking Class – Italiano Moderno: Italian Elegance Thursday, Oct. 29. 6 p.m. $95. Foodie Labs, St. Petersburg. thefoodielabskitchen.com
Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky
This article appears in Oct. 15 – 21, 2026.
