San Francisco Bay Area Food Events for the Weekend and Beyond

A cool chocolate and bourbon event, plus more Bay Area happenings to add to your calendar. [Photo: Carrie Vasios]

Looking for something to do this weekend and in the weeks to come? Here's our roundup of cool food and drink events in San Francisco and the Bay Area.

Friday (August 9)

War Gastonomy Opening Reception
Friday, August 9, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This event kickoffs a series of gatherings at 18 Reasons exploring the link between food and conflict throughout history. Participants will be invited to share recipes and stories about how food helped them or their ancestors through times of strife. Free. 3674 18th Street, San Francisco, CA; (415) 568-2710; event details

Saturday (August 10)

San Rafael Food & Wine Festival
Saturday, August 10, 1:00 p.m. to 5 p.m. San Rafael's local wineries and food purveyors will come together this Saturday in a celebration which will feature tastings and chef demonstrations. The event will be hosted on the lawns of the Falkirk Cultural Center with live music from local jazz and classical musicians Admission is free, tasting is $30 when you buy at the door, or $25 in advance. 1408 Mission Avenue at "E" Street, San Rafael; 415-485-3328;
event details

An Alchemy of Distinctive Flavors: Single Origin Chocolate and Barrel Strength Bourbon at Hi-Lo BBQ
Saturday, August 10, 3:30 p.m. Forget wine and chocolate; up the booziness at this tasting event, which will pair three rare bourbons selected by Michael Lazar of Hog & Rocks with three different types of handmade chocolate from San Francisco's own Dandelion Chocolate. $45. 3416 19th Street, San Francisco, CA; 415-874-9921;event details

The Perfect Steak Cooking Class at the San Francisco Cooking School
Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Learn how to master a range of techniques for cooking steak at this hands-on class, which will educate students on preparing different cuts of meat, grain vs. grass-fed beef, and more. $160 San Francisco Cooking School, 690 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA; 415-346-2665; event details

Sunday (August 11)

[Photo: Andrew Strenio]

Home Mead Making Workshop
Sunday, August 11, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Learn a bit about the history of mead, one of the first drinks ever imbibed by humankind, try a few examples, and learn to brew your own batch from fermented honey. $25/$40 for couples +$35 materials fee if you want to take home the supplies for the D.I.Y mead. Pollinate Farm and Garden, 2727 Fruitvale Avenue, Oakland, CA ; 510-686-3493; event details

Wines with Altitude
Sunday, August 11, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. This Lake County-themed event at the Winery SF will bring over 100 wines from California's mountains to San Francisco wine lovers. $35 in advance, $60 at the door. VIP tickets also available. The Winery SF, 200 California Avenue, Bldg 180 North, San Francisco, CA; 415-735-8423; event details

Cheese Making Class Sunday, August 11, 2:00 pm to 5:00 p.m. Try your hand at cheesemaking in this intensive course at Berkeley's Sticky Art Lab, which will walk you through the steps of making three different types of handcrafted cheese: fresh cheese, whey cheese, and traditional pressed cheese. $40 + $15 materials fee. 1682 University Avenue Berkeley, CA; 510-981-1148;event details

Cochon Heritage Fire
Sunday, August 11, 4:00 p.m to 7:00 pm. A boisterous celebration of live-fire cooking and ethically-raised meat, featuring food from Devin Knell of The French Laundry, Robin Song from Hog & Rocks, Adam Sobel from RN74, Chris Arentz of Bel Campo Meat Co., and more. Use the promo code MARKET for $25 off tickets until Saturday. $125. Charles Krug Winery, 2800 Main Street, Saint Helena, CA; 707-967-2200; event details

Wes's Tex-Mex Brunch at Virgil's
Sunday, August 11, from 1:00 p.m. Hit up Virgil's Sea Room this weekend to chow down at a popup Tex Mex brunch cooked up by Serious Eats' own photographer, Wes Rowe. Brisket tamales, vegan tamales, breakfast tacos, huevos rancheros, margaritas, and more on the back patio. Pay as you go. Virgil's Sea Room, 3152 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA; 415-829-2233; event details

Tuesday (August 13)

Chef Skills Evening Session
Tuesday, August 13, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Fine tune your knife skills at this three-hour intensive course offered by the San Francisco Cooking School. You won't be preparing any meals, but you'll go through drills and work on perfecting your technique, while gaining confidence at wielding super-sharp knives. $60. San Francisco Cooking School, 690 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA; event details

Wednesday (August 14)

Can Your Blackberry Do That? Wednesday, August 14, 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Enjoy the sweetest fruit of summer at this blackberry-centric course at 18 Reasons, which includes a lesson on using blackberries in both sweet and savory dishes, followed by a dinner. Menu highlights include blackberry quick jam and spicy pork ribs with blackberry bourbon rub. 3674 18th Street, San Francisco, CA; 415-568-2710; event details

Thursday (August 15)

[Photo: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Soba-Making Class
Thursday, August 15, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Slurp up some soba noodles following this course, taught by Sonoko Sakai. You'll learn how to whip up traditional buckwheat noodles, which you'll roll and cut by hand, and then learn to prepare them in both hot and cold dishes. $150. San Francisco Cooking School, 690 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA; 415-346-2665;event details

Friday (August 16)

SF Street Food Festival Kickoff Night Market
Friday, August 16, 6:00 p.m. to 10 p.m. Take a journey in cuisine around the world without leaving San Francisco at the kickoff night of the San Francisco Street Food Festival. Each of the 6 outdoor market areas will represent a different area of the world and its regional cooking, with live music, belly dancers, beer gardens, and much much more. $35 General Admission. Alemany Farmer's Market at 100 Alemany Blvd, Bernal Heights, San Francisco, CA, event details

Saturday (August 17)

23rd Annual San Francisco Family Winemakers of California Tasting
Saturday, August 17, to Sunday, August 18, 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. This long-running event will pour over 800 wines by 200 of California's wineries. Use the discount code "wine10" for 20% off the ticket price. $60-$100. Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd.,San Francisco, CA; event details

Pickling 101: Preserving The Perishables Saturday, August 17, 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. BYOV (vegetables) to this pickling class if you have some to spare, and learn how to mix up a brine and pickle them so they'll last well past the summer. This class will teach you the basics of preserving, canning, and pickling, and you'll get to leave with one jar of pickled cucumbers and one of seasonal vegetables. $40. Workshop SF, 1798 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA; 415-874-9186; event details

Sunday (August 18)

Sunday, August 18, 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Food and Entrepreneurship Conference: Women, Work, & Food Discussion at this conference will revolve around the place of women in the world of food and food entrepreneurship, and will celebrate the contributions of women in the food world. Conference preceded by a Southern brunch event sponsored by the Southern Foodways Alliance. $75 for brunch, $150 for brunch and conference, $100 for conference admission. SOMArts, 934 Brannan Street at 8th Street; event details

Tuesday (August 20)

[Photo: Liz Clayton]

DIY For Morning After: Make And Blend Your Own Tea
Tuesday, August 20, 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. In this course, you'll learn the ropes of blending your own tea from the resident tea master at Workshop SF. After a tasting and some background info, you'll be able to get creative in mixing up your own tea, and you'll be able to bring home a few of your special blends. $38. Workshop SF, 1798 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA; 415-874-9186; event details

Thursday (August 22)

Tacolicious Guest Chef Taco Series: Melissa Perello
Thursday, August 15, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Melissa Perello of Frances takes over the Tacolicious stand. Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, 1 Sausalito - San Francisco Ferry Bldg #50, San Francisco, CA 94111; 415-291-3276; event details

Saturday (August 24)

Pizzeria Pizza at Home Cooking Class Bring pizzeria-style pizza right to your kitchen table with the help of this cooking class, which will show you how to craft a pie from dough to sauce to toppings. $170. San Francisco Cooking School, 690 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA; event details

Sunday (August 25)

San Francisco First Bacon and Beer Fest
Sunday, August 25, 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. This event will feature bacon and beer pairings from loads of area breweries (including Ale Industries, Almanac Beer Col, Calicraft Brewing, Pacific Brewing Laboratories, and more) and restaurants for your tasting pleasure. Proceeds will benefit the Sprouts Cooking Club for kids. $50. The Fairmont San Francisco, 950 Mason Street, San Francisco CA; event details

Wednesday (August 28)

Tara Duggan Book Signing: Root to Stalk Cooking
Wednesday, August 28, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Get some tips on reducing waste in the kitchen and get your cookbook signed by Tara Duggan, author of Root to Stalk Cooking: The Art of Using the Whole Vegetable at Omnivore Books. Omnivore Books, 3885A Cesar Chavez Street, San Francisco, CA; 415-282-4712; event details

Yacht Rock II: Summer Cocktails of the Farmers Market
Wednesday, August 28th, 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This sea-themed event will showcase the best summer produce of the Farmers Market and offer up a wide range of seasonal cocktails and bites. Sailor-inspired clothing strongly encouraged. $40. The Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA; event details

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