<lst>To have food and dining items happening in Fairfax and Loudoun listed free, mail to 7913 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102 or fax to 703-917-0991 or e-mail maweber@connectionnewspapers.com
<lst>The Mount Vernon Wine Festival and Sunset Tour celebrates the history of wine in Virginia with evening tours of the mansion and wine cellar and an appearance by George Washington himself. Visitors can bring a blanket and relax on the lawn as they listen to jazz and sample wines from siixteen Virginia wineries Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; May 17 to 19 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person and party platters to serve six are available for $45 per platter. There is also a Sunday only cruise package aboard the Miss Christin tour boat which will travel round-trip from Old Town Alexandria to the Mount Vernon estate.
Tickets mlay be purchased through TicketMaster at 703-573-7328, or 202-432-7328 or at the Mount Vernon main gate ticket window which is open seven days a week. For more information call 703-780-2000
<lst>The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services celebrated the best new Virginia products at the 9th Virginia Food and Beverage expo held in Richmond recently. Winner of the best new p;roduct was "Chocolate Jazz," a dark and rich milk chocolate bar produced by Hunt Country Food Inc. of Middleburg.
The show was open only to new products mNU
<lst>The School of Culinary Arts at Stratford University in Tysons Corner has been selected as one of three professional culinary schools in the United States that will be in contention to receive an award of excellence, April 20, from the International Association of Culinary Professionals at is annual convention in San Diego. Dr. Richard R. Shurtz II, president, and Mrs. Shurtz, executive vice president of the University, will attend the award ceremonies along with Chef Daniel Traster, dean of Stratford's culinary school.
The 2002 Virginia Wineries Festival and Tour Guide is now available from the Virginia Wine Marketing Office, part of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The free annual publication includes a listing of the state’s wineries, directions, hours of operation, maps and a listing of nearly 350 wine-related events. To receive a copy, call 800-828-4637 or visit www.virginiawines.org, or write to VDACS, PO Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218.
Taking a nostalgic turn, McDonald's will be offering Matchbox cars and trucks and miniature versions of the classic Madame Alexander dolls in Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals through April 25 at participating restaurants. The 4 1/2-inch dolls are miniature versions of Little Red Riding Hood, Peter Pan, the Hispanic 100th Anniversary Teddy Bear Doll, African-American Cool Cathy, and bride and groom dolls. The six cars will represent six states: New York, Illinois, Texas, Ohio, North Carolina and Washington.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has begun a campaign called “Food That’s In ... When School Is Out!” to focus on expanding the Summer Food Service Program by getting more organizations to participate. The Summer Food Service Program provides meals through its sponsors to children in economically disadvantaged areas during the summer when school is out. Sponsors are reimbursed for the meals through the program. Sponsors may include public or private nonprofit school food authorities; units of local, municipal, county, state, or federal governments; and public and private nonprofit residential summer camps.
Organizations interested in becoming sponsors may request an application from Summer Food Service Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Mercer Corporate Park, 300 Corporate Blvd., Robbinsville, NJ 08691-1598. Call 800-448-USDA for information.
Every Friday, future chefs from Stratford College’s School of Culinary Arts, 7777 Leesburg Pike, Suite 500, Tysons Corner, invite the public to come and enjoy the fine cuisine that they prepare and serve themselves. A different style of service — buffet, traditional or Russian — is highlighted each week. Lunch ($12) is served promptly at 11 a.m., dinner ($18) at 8 p.m., and a happy hour is available 6-8 p.m. Call 703-821-8570 for reservations or information.