Can you handle this? Localicious and more

Can you handle this? Localicious and more

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Brown County Honey, raw and unfiltered, produced by wild bee honey at Little Red Hen Farm in Story, Indiana (WBEZ/Louisa Chu)

Friday, March 15

Can you handle this? The Good Food Festival and Conference presents Localicious at UIC Forum. Creative chef-driven restaurants paired with small family farms celebrate the local food event of the season. Plus a Sandor Katz pre-party has just been added! Meet and greet with the fermentation revivalist himself over exclusive cocktails and canapés. And remember The Kimchi Challenge on Saturday where I’ll be one of the judges. Admission $75 for Localicious, $85 including the Sandor Katz pre-party, $10 Saturday Festival including the Kimchi Challenge.

Roadtrip! The Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance presents Pennsylvania Dutch Foods and Foodways in the Midwest, in downstate Illinois. The two day learning and eating tour kicks off at lunch with Amish-Mennonite sweet rolls, Pfeffernesse, shoo-fly pie, and coffee for dunking at the Illinois Mennonite Heritage Center in Metamora, then a fried fish, barbeque chicken, and pie dinner at the 55th annual Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale in Bloomington. This event will be recorded for WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified. Admission $40.

Sunday, March 17

The fifth annual Chicago Chef Week kicks off at nearly 75 of the best and beloved chef-driven restaurants across Chicagoland, from Lula to Acadia and many, many more. Admission  $22 for lunch, $44 for three-course, prix fixe dinner.

Wednesday, March 20

WBEZ presents Member Meet-up: ’90s Time Machine Edition at Haymarket Pub & Brewery. Arts and culture reporter Alison Cuddy will explore the question: Where were you in the ’90s? A prize for “Best Dressed for the ’90s” will include Saved by the Bell, seasons one and two, among many other iconic ’90s goodies — Zima not included. Admission FREE, but limited to 60 High Fidelity members only, plus one guest each. To RSVP click here Friday, March 15 at 10 a.m.

Soup & Bread presents this week’s theme, Paris vs. Tokyo: Occident vs. Orient?, at the Hideout. This week benefitting Common Threads with special soup chefs including Chicagoist‘s Editor-in-Chief and unofficial Vice Mayor of Bridgeport Chuck Sudo. Plus bread from Publican Quality Meats and La Farine Bakery. Admission FREE, by donation.

Thursday, March 21

WBEZ, the Fourth Presbyterian Church, and the Center for Civic Reflection present Eating with Understanding and Gratitude: Rethinking our Relationship to Food at the WBEZ West Side Bureau. Using excerpts from poet Wendell Berry’s essay The Pleasures of Eating join a facilitated discussion. What responsibilities do we have to participate in our own food production, preparation, supporting local farmers, or learning the origins of the food we buy? How are we supported in these efforts, and what realistic challenges do we face? The discussion continues Monday, March 25, at the WBEZ South Side Bureau and Thursday, March 28, at the WBEZ North Side Bureau. Admission FREE, reservations requested.

Follow Louisa Chu on Twitter.