News for Foodies 07.21.11

    Summer is a good time for foodies, not only because of the abundance of fresh vegetables and seafood, but also because, like regular folk, top chefs enjoy a chance to visit the South Fork and ply their trade for a good cause.

    The James Beard Foundation’s Chefs and Champagne event at Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack on Saturday will feature culinary treats from a select group of more than 40 chefs. Among them will be James Carpenter, who heads up the kitchen at the Living Room restaurant in East Hampton.

    Besides the food, the event will feature Wolffer Estate wines, Nicolas Feuillatte champagne, and beers from Stella Artois, as well as a silent auction.

    Tickets for general admission to the event, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., cost $275, or $200 for James Beard Foundation members. Premium admission, which starts at 4:30 p.m., costs $375; V.I.P. tables for 10 are available for $3,500. Reservations can be made by calling the foundation’s New York City headquarters, or online at jamesbeard.org/chefsandchampagne.

Pre-Sunset Prix Fixe

    Harbor Bistro on Three Mile Harbor in East Hampton has a $29 “before the sunset” prix fixe available nightly from 5 to 6, or all night for those who eat at the bar. It includes three courses, with choices from the appetizer, main course, and dessert sections of the menu. A $19 chef’s prix fixe is also offered nightly from 5 to 6.

Chefs at Hayground

    More chefs are gearing up for the Hayground School’s annual Chefs Dinner, which is a benefit for Jeff’s Kitchen, a culinary arts center at the school, and its Jeff Salaway Scholarship Fund. The late Mr. Salaway was a founder of the school and a restaurateur who co-owned Nick and Toni’s, among other establishments.

    The event will take place on July 31 and will include a host of well-known local chefs. Tickets are $850 for the cocktail party and dinner; $175 for the cocktail party only, and $35 for children, and can be reserved at greatchefsdinner.com, or by calling the school.

FEED Shop

    Navy Beach restaurant will have a “pop-up” shop on Sunday, selling items such as bags, picnic bags, teddy bears, scarves, and bracelets from the organization FEED Projects  from 1 to 8 p.m. Proceeds from sales of the items are used by FEED Projects to support humanitarian efforts and groups working to fight world hunger.

    Lauren Bush, a model and founder of the group, who is the niece of President George W. Bush, will host the event.

Speaking Pasta

    Gioacchino Balducci will speak “The Language of Pasta” at the Montauk Library on Sunday, during a program from 3:30 to 5 p.m. A professor of Italian at the State University at Stony Brook who directs an annual New Italian Cinema festival, he will talk all about pasta — who invented it, how it is made, and the meaning of pasta names such as spaghetti, linguine, and manicotti. The program is free and all are welcome to attend.

    Using a PowerPoint presentation, Mr. Balducci will explore regional Italian traditions from a historical, linguistic, and cultural point of view.