Spring and summer bring many food events. This sampling does not include all events, but instead focus on those that aid hunger and other causes in the area. Send information on other events to drainey@delawarebusinessnow.com
Taste of the Nation
On April 18, the annual Taste of the Nation Wilmington will be held at Harry’s Savoy Ballroom in north Wilmington.
The ticket price is $200. Those attending the event will sit down to a multi-course food and wine pairing featuring courses prepared by guest chefs from across the country.
Each course is paired with a specially-selected wine poured by guest sommeliers. Admission also includes a pre-dinner reception, silent auction and wine raffle.
For information and tickets, contact Meg Morgan at 302-475-3000.
Taste of the Nation Wilmington benefits Food Bank of Delaware, Claymont Community Center, and Ministry of Caring.
Master Meals events
Next on the line-up, is the Masters series that benefits Meals on Wheels Delaware. Evening With The Masters is slated for April 19th at the DoubleTree in Downtown Wilmington. Tickets are $75. A Cellmasters Wine Auction is sold out.
Coming on April 21st. is the Celebrity Chefs branch, with a ticket price of $175. Further information is available at the Meals on Wheels website.
Barbecue in May
On the other side of the food spectrum will be the 4th Annual Middletown BBQ Championship, slated for the third weekend in May.
Sponsors are the Middletown Area Chamber of Commerce and Dutch Country Farmer’s Market. The event will run from Friday through Sunday. The location is the Frightland complex on 309 Port Penn Road, just off Route 13.
The BBQ Cookoff is sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society as a Delaware State BBQ Championship competition. Barbecue teams from around the country compete in a variety of BBQ categories and the champion qualifies to compete in the Jack Daniels World Tournament in Lynchberg, Va.
Last year, more than 10,000 people enjoyed the weekend event featuring live entertainment, food vendors, craft vendors, car show, carnival rides and activities, beer and wine garden, amateur, and professional barbecue contests.
A portion of the proceeds from admissions will benefit local scholarships through the Middletown Chamber Foundation and the Leukemia Research Foundation of Delaware. Vendor and sponsorships opportunities are currently available. For more information contact the chamber office at 302.378.7545 or check out this website.
Burger Battle in late August
The Second Annual Wilmington Burger Battle is slated for Aug. 24 from noon to 4 p.m. at Twin Lakes Brewing Company, 4210 Kennett Pike, Greenville.
Restaurants in the greater Wilmington area—including last year Critic’s Choice Burger winner, Kildare’s Irish Pub, and People’s Choice Burger winner, Union City Grille — are expected to return.
Proceeds will support the Ministry of Caring’s Emmanuel Dining Room. Tickets to the tasting event will be available in early summer through wilmingtonburgerbattle.com.
Event cofounder Matthew Curtis, chef/owner of Union City Grille, who took home a trophy in 2012, said, “I consider the burger to be the perfect wwwfood, and a restaurant’s burger can really tell you a lot about its quality. We were thrilled that 16 of Delaware’s best restaurants came together last year to compete, and are hoping for more this year. I bet some of last year’s chefs want a rematch with me.”
More than 400 attended the 2012 event to place their votes for People’s Choice Burger, and the event raised over $4,000 to fight hunger. Three Delaware sports legends served as “Delebrity” judges, and tasted 18 burgers like champs, ultimately declaring Kildare’s burger their favorite. Battle cofounder JulieAnne Cross noted, “We are hoping for a rich field of entries in the Alternative Burger category this year. Many of our vegetarian friends supported the event last year and we want them to enjoy the food as much as they enjoy the Delaware-brewed Twin Lakes beer.”
Easter Seals Movie Night
Easter Seals of Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore will play host to the Second Annual Movie Night featuring “James Bond, Skyfall” on April 25th at the Penn Cinema IMAX Riverfront in Wilmington.
Movie Night will kick-off the first WilmFilm Festival. The movie will follow a dessert reception with cash bar at 7:15 p.m. at Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts. Proceeds will benefit Easter Seals’ mission to provide exceptional services to people with disabilities in the local region. Cost is $35 a ticket. Tickets are available by calling 302-221-2066 or contact rcrosby@esdel.org.
