Friday, November 16

The inaugural Chicago Fine Chocolate Show at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall kicks off Friday and runs three days through Sunday. The show’s charity partners include Share Our Strength, the World Cocoa Foundation and Icing Smiles. Choose wisely: You get 15 samples from over 100 artisanal chocolate makers with bars, truffles, brownies, cupcakes and more — plus chocolate demos and seminars. Admission from $25 for adults; $10 for children 3 to 12.

Saturday, November 17

Culinary Historians of Chicago presents a Food Writing Workshop with author, editor, and food historian Andy Smith at Kendall College. Smith is the founder of the highly acclaimed Roger Smith Cookbook Conference held annually in New York City, where tickets run $75 per workshop. Immediately preceding this Chicago workshop, he will discuss in a doubleheader his upcoming book Drinking History: Fifteen Turning Points in the Making of American Beverages and his just published American Tuna: The Rise and Fall of an Improbable Food — a classic tuna fish salad, a tuna fish jello mold and a neo-classic tuna salad and pimento cheese will be served for lunch. Both events will be recorded for WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified. Admission to the workshop $30 in advance, $40 at the door; to the drinking and tuna talk $5, $3 for students, and FREE for CHC members and Kendall students and faculty.

Sunday, November 18

Red Door Animal Shelter presents its annual Winter Bazaar with gifts, Santa photos, and Famous Cookie Sale at Warren Park fieldhouse. Hundreds of cookies — including a batch by yours truly and my dog Kiba, an Alaskan Malamute mix rescue — will be available with coffee and hot cider. My sister and master crafter Annie Chu will be there with her 2012 edition of “monsieur Nutcracker” alongside our friend and designer Claudia Aguilar, who won the recent design contest for Red Shelter Animal Shelter, with many more — and SANTA! Admission FREE; food, drink, gifts, and Santa photos additional.

Monday, November 19

The Greater Chicago Food Depository presents its inaugural Ogilvie Station Food Drive at Ogilvie Transportation Center. Food Depository volunteers will hand out grocery bags on Monday evening from 4 to 7 p.m. to return filled on Tuesday morning from 5 to 7 a.m. The most needed items are beans, canned fruit, canned vegetables, cereal, chili, jelly, macaroni and cheese, pasta, pasta sauce, peanut butter, rice, shelf-stable milk, soup, stew and tuna. Or simply donate funds now. Admission FREE, but please donate food and drink.

Tuesday, November 20

Chicago Public Media presents Member Meet-Up: Curious City Trivia Bowl Edition at Haymarket Pub & Brewery hosted by Curious City creator Jennifer Brandel! Remember your MemberCard or email record of your membership for a Goose Island beer on ‘BEZ. Admission FREE but RSVP via Facebook.

Wednesday, November 21

The one and only Martha Bayne presents a very special Thanksgiving Eve edition of Soup & Bread at The Hideout, benefitting friends at Hurricane Sandy shuttered restaurant The Good Fork in Brooklyn and Restore Red Hook. Among the many soup chefs are the Micheln star-winning and elusive Schwa, the Michelin star-deserving Lula, with bread by Publican Quality Meats. Plus there will be a bake sale! Admission FREE but the donation bucket will be out.

Thursday, November 22

Happy Thanksgiving!