October 6: Strategies for Building a Balanced Wine Collection The experts at the Italian Wine Merchants can show you how to build up your wine collection beyond those bottles that were left over from your last party. During the course of the afternoon, you'll taste eight Italian wines including vintage Barolo, Brunello, Super-Tuscans, and more while sampling assorted antipasti. $125 per person. Reservations required and can be made online or by calling 212-473-2323 x106. 1:00......

September 8: Hudson River Riverside Oyster Festival Oysters, Guiness, Irish music -- what more do you need, really. Head to Riverside Park for this free festival -- oysters and Guiness available for purchase. Hudson Beach Cafe, 103rd St, at Riverside Park, 4-9:30 PM, call (917) 370-3448 for more information. September 9: Slow Cooker Demo Rosh Hashannah is right around the corner -- time to get your brisket on, and a slow cooker is just the......

July 15: Bastille Day at Bar Tabac If you've never played petanque, head on down to Smith Street for North America's largest petanque tournament -- the two block stretch betweeen Bergen and Pacific will be shut down and covered with sand just for the occasion. While your'e watching the action, enjoy special cocktails from Ricard and other drink specials ($5-6), nibble on grilled merguez and chicken sandwiches ($5) and groove to Jazz band Blue Orchid......

June 7 - June 11: Broadway Panhandler "Yard Sale" Just because they don't technically have a yard in their new location won't stop Broadway Panhandler from having its annual Yard Sale, where you can find discounts of up to 75 percent off on select cooking supplies. 65 East 8th Street, 212-966-3434. June 8: Beard on Film Join directors whose films will be featured at the upcoming NYC Food Film Festival (June 14–16, 21–23, September 6–8):......

June 3: A Day A Whey (the Sequel!) Join Saxelby Cheesemongers for a day trip to the Valley Shepherd Creamery in New Jersey to see a sheep dairy in action. Learn about the cheesemaking process from start to finish and end the day with a picnic on the farm. 11 am to 7 pm. Tickets are $75 and are available online. June 4: Japanese Food Demonstration and Tasting Head on over to the Brooklyn Kitchen......

On Monday night there will be a huge, star-studded, red-carpet event held at Avery Fisher Hall with men in tuxes, women in floor-length gowns, and paparazzi galore. Some swanky movie premiere? No -- the James Beard Awards, an annual event that is taking a grand step up in venue this year (in the past it had taken place at the Marriott Marquis). But many question the decision to glam up the awards. Not only did......

April 14: Denise Landis at Broadway Panhandler Join Denise Landis, recipe tester for The New York Times, as she shares recipes and expertise from her newest cookbook, Dinner for Eight. Free tasting and book signing to follow the demonstration. Broadway Panhandler, 65 East 8th Street (between Broadway and University), 3 PM, free. April 16: A Menupoems Reading April is National Poetry Month and Alimentum is joining in the celebration with Menupoems. During the month, participating......

Yesterday morning, the nominees for the 2007 James Beard Foundation Awards were announced at the Beard House on West 12th Street. In additional to New York restaurant stalwarts David Waltuck of Chanterelle, Floyd Cardoz of Tabla, and Terrance Brennan of Picholine (which was rebooted in 2006 to impressive reviews, the nominees also include a bumper crop of young chefs including David Chang for Momofuku Ssam Bar, Daniel Humm for Eleven Madison Park (both for......

ART: Running through March 7th at Gavin Brown's enterprise at Passerby is "Radical Living Papers". Some of the passionate writers of forty years ago will have their words become a part of this exhibit, which serves as a snapshot of the Vietnam War era and a history of counter-culture and alt press. Publications (all from the 60s and 70s) include Rolling Stone, The Black Panther, Freep, The Seed and the Los Angeles Free Press. Friday......

February 3: James Beard House Cookbook and Culinary Tag Sale It's bargains galore at the James Beard House's tag sale. Shop for bargains for your kitchen or for cookbooks to shake up your repertoire. 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., 167 West 12th Street. February 3: Navarra Cheese and Wine Located in the north of Spain, Navarra boasts a long and rich history of agriculture and gastronomic culture. Join Waldemar and Nadia as they showcase Navarra......

November 3: Chocolate and Dessert Wine Seminar Two award winners paired with two sinful delights -- what could be better? James Beard Pastry Chef of the Year, Jacques Torres and James Beard Sommelier of the Year, Jean Luc Le Du join forces for these seminars focusing on chocolate and dessert wine. Three seminars at 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30, at Le Du's Wines, 600 Washington St between Morton and Leroy. $25. Seating is limited and reservations......

July 29: Cheese and Wine at Telepan Fromagers Waldemar & Nadia team up with Telepan Restaurant for the third in a series of Saturday afternoon cheese and wine tastings. This time around they have paired summertime artisanal cheeses with wines from Telepan's list. You'll learn all about each pairing while you sip and taste. $65 per person, reservations are required. Call 212-580-4300 for reservations. 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., 72 West 69 Street, between Columbus......

July 11 - 13: Chianina at at Maremma Join Tuscan native Chef Cesare Casella and his team at Maremma as they make special dishes featuring the traditional Tuscan beef -- Chianina (pronounced kee-a-nee-na). Chef Casella raises his herd of Chianina at Thanksgiving Farm in the Catskills regions of upstate New York. 228 West 10th Street, 212.645.0200. July 13: A Celebration of Simple Pleasures This panel discussion features Ruth Reichl, Anne Patchett, Jane and Michael Stern,......

December 24: Bûche de Noël Tasting at Payard Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro will be hosting a Christmas Eve lunch with a Bûche de Noël tasting. Warm Maine crab with oakwood shiitake, Kalijira rice galette and mushroom broth will begin the meal followed by roasted pheasant breast with leg confit, Hokkaido squash, baby brussel sprouts, apples, sage and black truffle jus. Then, it's on to the Bûches de Noël -- in more than one variety! You......

December 8-16: Give the Gift of Cooking at 5% Off So you want that special someone in your life to cook you a nice dinner, but they need a little help? Give them a gift certificate for the Institute of Culinary Education and receive 5% off from December 8-16. Gift certificates can be purchased in any dollar amount over $75. They have a two year limitation and can be used toward the purchase of any......

July 23: Chefs & Champagne The James Beard Foundation will be honoring Chef Michael Romano of Union Square Cafe for his contributions to the food industry at its annual Chefs & Champagne Benefit at the Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, New York. Hang in the Hamptons and enjoy tastings by chefs including Florian Bellanger of Fauchon, Rebecca Charles of Pearl Oyster Bar, Josh DeChellis of Sumile, and Kerry Heffernan of Eleven Madison Park along......

The New York Times reports that the James Beard Foundation, the non-profit organization founded by Julia Child and others after Beard's death nearly 20 years ago, appears to be in deep trouble. The Foundation, which owns the Beard House on West 12th Street, cannot account for hundreds of thousands of dollars it took in, and generally appears to be so poorly managed that they will be hard pressed to maintain their non-profit status once......