Friday, April 26

Bike a Bee fundraiser at 3624 West Wrightwood Avenue. Make a beeline just west of Logan Square for a honey of a bake sale, local beer and spirits, merchandise (including temporary tattoos), and silent auction. Bid on buzz-worthy prizes like a Longman & Eagle lost weekend (drinks and overnight stay), Pleasant House Bakery gift certificate, and Arize kombucha. Bike a Bee gives beehives to community gardens all over Chicago and cares for them (for free) by bicycle. Admission FREE, food and drink additional and act as donations.

Saturday, April 27

Recipe for Success: Starting and Growing a Food Business in Chicago at the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship, University of Chicago Law School. Hungry for information about how to succeed in a food venture? Meet other Chicagoans who share your passion, and learn about legal and business strategies that can help you realize your dream. Breakfast, lunch, and parking will be provided. Admission FREE. 

Pastoral’s third annual Artisan Producer Festival at the Chicago French Market. Taste hundreds of artisanal products from the hands of the artisans themselves: bread, charcuterie, confections, craft beers, local spirits, wines from around the world, and (of course) cheese. Plus see the “Butchering for a Better Barbeque” demo featuring Lillie’s Q’s Charlie McKenna, Butcher & Larder’s Rob Levitt, and COCHON 555 founder Brady Lowe breaking down a heritage pig. Admission FREE.

Sunday, April 28

Fifth Anniversary Tour COCHON 555 at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago. Five chefs, five pigs, five winemakers, five years. Created to promote a national conversation around the sustainable farming of heritage breed pigs, each event challenges five local chefs to prepare a menu from the entirety of one 200 pound family raised heritage breed of pig, nose-to-tail. Last year, Chicago’s own Nightwood chef Jason Vincent was crowned national winner, King of Porc. Admission $125 general admission.

Monday, April 29

Science authors Mary Roach and Rebecca Skloot in conversation at the Harold Washington Library. Why is crunchy food so appealing? Why is it so hard to find words for flavors and smells? Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself? How much can you eat before your stomach bursts? Roach, “America’s funniest science writer” says the Washington Post, answers these questions and more in her new book Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal. Roach and Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, will sign their books available for sale after the program presented by the Illinois Science Council. Admission FREE.

Tuesday, April 30

98th anniversary Chicago Community Trust celebration featuring Michael Pollan, Monica Eng, and Bill Kurtis at the Harris Theater. Best selling author Pollan will discuss his new book Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation with our friend Monica. Plus MC Kurtis will lead the evening of cocktails, a strolling buffet, and roving performances. Admission $125.

Save the date: Friday, May 03

The Reader’s inaugural Key Ingredient Cook-Off: A Festival of Culinary Curiosities at the Bridgeport Art Center benefiting the Healthy Schools Campaign. Admission $65 general, $100 VIP.

Follow Louisa Chu @louisachu.