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
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 16 Virginia wineries, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 17 to 19, from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person, and party platters to serve six are available for $45. 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 may 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
On Tuesday, April 23, Glory Days Grill will celebrate the first birthday of its Fairfax restaurant, which is located in the Pan Am Shopping Center. The celebration will last from 6-10 p.m.. Specials of the night include half-price nachos, Chicken Damon and free birthday cake. Door prizes will be given away every half hour, and "B.Bow," the magical ballooniac, will be providing entertainment from 6-9 p.m. The community is invited to join in the party!
Gunston Hall Plantation will host “Hearth Cooking with Herbs,” April 21, 1-4 p.m. Gunston Hall cooks will be in the kitchen outbuildings demonstrating 18th-century open-hearth cooking techniques featuring foods cooked with herbs from the plantation’s own herb garden. Regular admission applies: $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $3 for students, free for children under 6. Call 703-550-9220.
Chef Curtis Ross, who once cooked for movie actor Will Smith and now serves customers throughout Northern Virginia, is offering a series of demonstrations and cooking classes at Whole Foods Markets in Northern Virginia.
His demonstrations will feature the regional cuisines of Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, where he has traveled, collecting recipes and local ingredients from chefs, cooks and villagers
The demonstrations are as follows:
Whole Foods Market
143 Maple Avenue E., Vienna
Mondays, May 13 and 20, from 7-8:30 p.m.
Wednesdays, May 1 and 8, from 7-8:30 p.m.
Register at 703-319-2000. Fee, $10 per class.
Whole Foods Market
11660 Plaza America Drive, Reston
Saturdays, April 27, May 11 and 25, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Register at 703-736-0600. Fee, $10 per class.
Whole Foods Market
7511 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church
Saturday, May 11, 10 a.m.-noon.
Thursday, May 23, 7-8 p.m.
Register at 703-448-1600. Fee, $10 per class