This weekend (May 14, 15 and 16) historic Glendale Square will be the site of the town’s first-ever Wine, Beer and Food Festival. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Harry Whiting Brown Community Center, which supports community cultural and artistic activities and programs.

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Food & Wine magazine has named two of Cincinnati’s finest young chefs as runners-up for the title of "Most Talented New Chef in America." Daniel Wright of Senate (and Abigail Street) and José Salazar of The Palace are both outstanding, talented chefs who do Cincinnati proud and can truly hold their own against the other eight Great Lakes nominees — seven from Chicago and one from Indianapolis. Since this is a People's Choice award, you can cast a ballot and help bring home this worthwhile recognition of our local dining scene.

Here's a link to the voting, and may the best chef win!

Spoiler alert! You won’t really be able to taste any Duveneck at the 20th annual food and wine fundraiser for the Cincinnati Art Museum (953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams). In fact, experts generally agree that no one has ever been served a dish prepared with Duveneck.

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Slow Food Cincinnati has a holiday happy hour party this Thursday, December 15 at the Bar at the Palm Court at the Netherland Hilton downtown. Pretty place, great food and drinks! There will be appetizer specials from the American Culinary Federation’s Chef of the Year Todd Kelly featuring Red Wattle Pork from Dean Family Farm, and the bar will also have other half-price appetizers and drink specials from 5:30 - 7 p.m.

Greater Cincinnati Independent restaurants will present their annual Spring Restaurant Week March 12-21. Each year during this event, local eateries offer diners special deals on a sampling menu. If you've been wanting to check out some new (or classic) area restaurants, this is the perfect chance to taste lots of dishes without dropping major cash.

This year's event features 27 local restaurants including Vito's Cafe, Jag's, Local 127, The Golden Lamb and The Midwest Culinary Institute's on-site restaurant, The Summit. Each spot offers a three-course tasting menu for $26.12. There will also be wine pairings from William Hill Estate Winery and cocktails by OYO Vodka, produced in Columbus using Ohio-grown ingredients.

Eating local gives diners the opportunity to experience Cincinnati's own "flair," but it's more than just a great way to show "team spirit" for your hometown. Money spent at independent businesses is stretched farther and filters back into the local economy. And when restaurants like La Poste and Lavomatic cook with locally sourced ingredients, it creates a chain effect of funds remaining within the Greater Cincinnati market. Meta-local!

Greater Cincinnati Independent also presents a yearly Fall Restaurant Week. Gift certificates and rewards cards are available at eatlocalcincy.com. Go here to check out all participating restaurants for March's event.

There are plenty of beer festivals year-round in Cincinnati, but Cincy Winter Beerfest is the queen mother of them all. Duke Energy Convention Center downtown transforms into a beer haven this weekend, offering more than 300 craft brews.

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Who says New Year’s resolutions have to be followed 365 days a year?

Meatless Monday, a public awareness campaign that advocates a “semi-vegetarian” lifestyle, asks its pledgees to give up meat one day a week. With the support of schools, hospitals and restaurants across the globe since 2003, they aim to improve the public’s health by cutting down meat consumption 15 percent.

Going veg once a week can reduce risks of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity — not to mention it is good for the environment.

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Tonight's the Second Edition of the a new Holiday Classic benefiting the Freestore Food Bank - ‘LIGHT UP OVER-THE-RHINE’ presented by Ionic Collective and Peanut Butter & Jelly Co.

• 7:00 P.M. Volunteers can gather together to assemble luminaries at The Famous Neon’s Unplugged.
• 8:00 P.M. Teams will be coordinated to disperse the luminaries throughout the neighborhood.
• 10:00 P.M. All volunteers and guests will gather back at The Famous Neon’s Unplugged to gather for the first annual lighting of the OTR Christmas tree.

Cocktails from mixologist Molly Wellman, OTR Santa Claus, a Bright Ride 'light your bike' event and more wild holiday surprises you won't want to miss.

Mayberry is small but mighty tasty. Soon, it will be slightly larger — large enough to accommodate the big talent of its young owner, Josh Campbell. Cincinnati native Campbell said today that he'll be opening in the space formerly occupied by the Courtyard Cafe, 1211 Main, sometime in the New Year. Mayberry's current locale, while great for lunch, is tiny and doesn't allow for drinks at dinner.

It'll be great to see what lies ahead for Mayberry! In the meantime, stop by the current location at 915 Vine for lunch or dinner. You won't regret it!

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