Several special dining events are planned in the weeks ahead.
A note from Rich DeMattia of La Cucina di Hampden House in Hampden brought news of an upcoming event. "An Intimate Tasting of Italian Wines" is scheduled for May 3 at 6 p.m.; the wines will be paired by a selection of creative appetizers prepared by Chef Miguel Figueroa.
Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased at the restaurant, which answers at (413) 566-8324.
La Cucina is also featuring a Sunday and Tuesday "Wine & Dine Night." A menu of three different entrees is available at a special price of $19.95; salad and two glasses of wine are also included in the package price.
Though the farmers' market season is now getting underway, area chefs aren't, for the most part, heading out to shop.
Belle Rita Novak, who manages the Farmers' Market at Forest Park, tells me most chefs now deal directly with a number of area farms to source native-grown produce.
According to Novak, Organizations like Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) have done a lot to give farmers the marketing savvy they need to cultivate such wholesale relationships.
The Farmers' Market at Forest Park will open for the season May 1 and continue each Tuesday until October, operating from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Free entry to the park may be obtained by informing the gate attendant that the Farmers' Market is your destination.
Chez Josef in Agawam is presenting a special Mother's Day event this year -- a Jimmy Mazz "Viva Las Vegas" Dinner Show on Sunday, May 13.
The event, which begins at 4 p.m., includes a three-course dinner. Mazzaferro's performance, an extensive medley of musical selections from the "standards" songbook of the 1950s and 1960s will follow. The set list will also include contemporary favorites as well as a few "Jimmy Mazz" impressions of Las Vegas legends.
The price for the dinner show is $35.95; entree selections include prime rib, baked stuffed shrimp, chicken Francaise, or eggplant rollatini. Contact Chez Josef at (413) 786-0257 to order tickets.
Sue Ellen Panitch of Holyoke sent word recently of a fundraising dinner, "The Future Begins Here," which she's organized in support of three worthy Holyoke-area endeavors.
The evening, which will be held at Holyoke Mall on May 6, at 6:30 p.m., supports causes close to Panitch's heart -- the Therapeutic Equestrian Center, the kids kayak and sculling programs at "Holyoke Rows," and the children's department at the Holyoke Public Library.
Thirteen area restaurants will be serving their specialties as a part of The Future Begins Here. Menu options will include lobster bisque from the School Street Bistro in Westfield, Crazy Alfredo from Carmelina's at the Commons (Hadley), sliced tenderloin prepared by the Eastside Grill, and homemade pastries courtesy of The Federal in Agawam.
A cash bar will be available, and Holyoke-based Paper City Brewery will be serving their signature microbrews.
Advance purchase tickets for the dinner, which are $35, can be obtained at customer service desk at Holyoke Mall. Tickets will also be sold at the door.
On April 29 at 6 p.m., Chef Philip Hillenbrand of Bottega Cucina in West Springfield will be presenting a Chianti Wine Dinner.
Co-sponsored by Ruby Wines, Inc. of Avon, MA, the four-course event will feature elegant Italian cuisine and a selection of fine wines in the Chianti style. Seating, which is $85 per person, is limited; contact Bottega Cucina at (413) 732-2500 for more details.
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