FOOD
Roy's Wine Dinner Roy's presents a special five-course dinner of Hawaiian fusion with unusual or lesser-known wines. Thursday, July 12. $75 a person, plus tax and tip. 6:30 p.m. reception, 7 p.m. dinner. 4342 W. Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa. Reservations requested. 813-873-7697.
Kids Make Mud Pies La Maison Gourmet (formerly Home Gourmet) helps kids ages 4-7 have fun with food, preparing easy to make and eat treats like mozzarella and pepperoni pinwheels, fruit slushies and mud pies. $25. 2:30-4 p.m. Saturday, July 14, at La Maison Gourmet (formerly Home Gourmet) 471 Main St. Dunedin. 727-736-6400. www.homegourmet.cc.
Plan the Perfect Picnic Vegetarian chef Debby DeGraaff teaches how to prepare the perfect meatless picnic. 7-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 18, and 10-11 a.m. Thursday, July 19, at Nature's Harvest Market, 1021 N. MacDill Ave., Tampa. 813-873-7428.
Learn Cooking Basics Designed for the beginning cook, this series of three hands-on classes offers the basics on how to prepare delicious meals. You'll make grilled chicken with mango, toasted coconut salsa, salmon cakes with ginger aioli, Asian vegetable salad, fruit fritters with caramel sauce and more. $149 for a series of three classes or $55 each. First class is 6:30-9 p.m. Wednesday, July 18. La Maison Gourmet (formerly Home Gourmet) 471 Main St., Dunedin. 727-736-6400 or www.homegourmet.cc.
Free Tasting La Maison Gourmet demonstrates kitchen products by preparing tastings of tomato and avocado salad with oregano vinaigrette, cilantro, chili and garlic-marinated beef strips, southwest potato muffins and orange-scented flan. Free with a $10 deposit applied to any purchase. 7-9 p.m. Thursday, July 19. La Maison Gourmet (formerly Home Gourmet) 471 Main St., Dunedin. 727-736-6400 or www.homegourmet.cc.
WINE
Bastille Day Doings Voila! Grand Cru Wine Cellar celebrates with French wine and artisan cheeses at its Work Week Wine Down 6-9 p.m. Friday, July 13. $12 a person includes a $5 coupon toward purchase. Grand Cru is at 11725 N. Dale Mabry, inside the Main Street Shopping Center, Tampa. 813-269-8463.
Bern-ing up the Summer Bern's is hosting a series of relaxed summer wine tastings on Monday evenings. On Monday, July 16, Bern's pits wines of France and Italy against New World-comers from California, Argentina and Australia. $25 a person. Classes are held in the newly renovated SideBern's, 2208 W. Morrison Ave., Tampa, and space is limited. 813-250-9463.
Old and Rare Wines by Morrell has built a reputation on finding old and rare wines from around the world. Taste a selection for only $50 a person. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, July 20, at Wines by Morrell, 2009 N. 22nd St., Tampa. 813-241-8587.
This article appears in Jul 18-24, 2001.