There are several special dining events planned in the weeks ahead.
Later this month, on May 30, Chef Enrico Giovanello will be presenting a "Cooking with Rico" evening at Avellino, the Duck's sister operation. The theme of this session will differ somewhat in that, rather than focusing on a particular region or style, Giovanello will be demonstrating dishes from among those that have become internationally emblematic of Italian cookery.
Cost to attend is $49 per person ($37 without wine pairings. For details on either evening, contact The Duck at (508) 347-2321.
On May 29, the Farm Table in Bernardston will be hosting a Sam Adams Beer Dinner. Featuring the craft-brewed efforts of the Boston Beer Company, the evening will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m.; dinner will start at 7.
The price is $55, gentlemen attending are asked to wear jackets. The restaurant's outdoor deck and cafe is also now open for the season. Call the Farm Table at (413) 648-5200 for information or reservations.
The Summer Wine Dinner at the Villa Rose in Ludlow will take place on June 13. Always a sell-out, the five-course dinner paired with five wines is $60 per person, including tax and gratuity. Live entertainment is also part of the evening's experience. Contact Villa Rose at (413) 547-6667 for details or reservations.
Another dining event next month worthy of space on any foodie's calendar is a Special Tuesday Night Dinner at the Gill Tavern in Gill.
Two guest chefs will be lending their talents to the evening -- Julian Proujansky and his partner, Heather Bortnem. Julian, a former Northfield resident has worked at the award-winning New York City restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, while Heather is the head bread baker at Commerce Restaurant in Greenwich Village.
The two will be collaborating on a multicourse menu that emphasizes "local" and "seasonal." Selected wines will be included as well. Details on the menu and price weren't available at press time, so contact the Gill Tavern at (413) 863-9006 to learn more or book a table.
In a recent note Peg Gorman of the Salem Cross Inn in West Brookfield shared the news she'd made her annual pilgrimage to Joe's Pizza & Spaghetti House in Northampton in order to enjoy that establishment's Kentucky Derby Day celebration.
Gorman also wanted me to remind everyone that the next Drovers' Roast, a twice-yearly tradition at the Salem Cross Inn, is scheduled for Father's Day, June 16.
A feast that commemorates early Springfield settler John Pynchon's annual cattle drive to Feeding Hills, the Drover's Roast includes fire-pit-roasted prime rib and eight tables' worth of fixings.
Entertainment, horse-drawn wagon rides, and crafts demonstrations are all part of the festivities, which begin at 2 p.m.
Advance reservations for this event are required. Tickets, which are $58, can be ordered on-line or by calling (508) 867-2345.
Cafe Provence and the Lilac Inn in Brandon, VT will be offering a new series of Vermont Culinary Retreat Weekends over the next four months.
Upcoming retreat weekend dates include: June 7 - 9, July 19 - 21, August 23- 25 and October 18 - 20.
Former Executive Chef of the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston and New England Culinary Institute Chef Robert Barral of Cafe Provence mentors attendees as they prepare a four-course meal in his culinary theater.
The program's emphasis is farm-to-table cuisine, with a focus on Vermont ingredients. In addition to learning food preparation techniques, participants can go on tours of several central Vermont farms.
Guests begin their retreat experience on Friday evening with a small reception and dinner at Cafe Provence. The cooking starts on Saturday morning. After lunch, the afternoon options include touring farms, an in-room massage, or a hike. Later in the afternoon, guests return to the Café to complete the evening's culinary lesson plan with Chef Robert and subsequently enjoy dinner in the Cafe's private dining room. The weekend concludes after a Sunday morning breakfast cooking demonstration.
For more details on this culinary retreat series, visit www.cafeprovencevt.com and www.lilacinn.com.
Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College's hospitality and culinary arts program and has over 35 years of restaurant and educational experience. Please send items of interest to Off the Menu at the Republican, P.O. Box 2350, Springfield, MA 01102; Robert can also be reached at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.