TRIANGLE FOOD BLOG

• John Huisman (aka Triangle Explorer) informed me about the fact that every Thursday from September through November, the town of Knightdale is hosting “Food Truck Thursdays” with a new food truck scheduled each week. The weekly truck will be parked at Knightdale Station Park near the amphitheater each Thursday 11am to 2pm. Check out the schedule here.

• For a listing of ALL food truck events, head over to Art’s page, The Wandering Sheppard on all things food truck related here.

Events

• The 30th annual International Festival of Raleigh is here, this weekend – October 9 through October 11 at the Raleigh Convention Center. The event features food from 27 different cultures and countries and a biergarten with cask beer tastings. Get all the details and purchase tickets in advance here. Use promo code “TFG15” and get $2 off adult ticket purchase!

• The town of Holly Springs is holding their 6th Annual Chili Cook-Off tomorrow – Saturday, October 10th at the Holly Springs Farmers Market from 9 – 12:30 p.m. This is a wonderful community event, where both amateurs and professionals compete for both the judges’ approval as well as their fellow citizens with the People’s Choice award. Get all the details here.

• If you are into eating healthier, you might want to go ahead and get this event on your calendar – the 2015 Triangle Vegfest which will be held at Moore Square and City Market in downtown Raleigh on Saturday, October 17th from noon until 5 p.m. Get all the details here.

• While you’re at it, make sure you mark your calendar for Saturday October 17th (4-8 p.m.) for Knightdale’s “Drafts & Carafe’s” Festival. This  event will also be held at the Knightdale Station Park and feature local wineries, breweries, vendors selling beer/wine related crafts/artwork, music and food trucks.

• The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering announced that their fourth annual Porkapalooza will be held this year on October 23rd at 6:30 p.m. The dinner will feature nine courses celebrating local pork: wood-fired suckling pigs; five-spice, beer-braised pork belly slider with pickled ginger; fried ravioli stuffed with Southern-style BBQ pork and macaroni and cheese, country-fried pork tenderloin pumpkin biscuit slider with bacon mayo and apple slaw, and more. The cost is $55 per person, including beer or wine pairing. Get more details here.

• Chickenwire is holding their next “pop-up” dinner on Sunday, October 25th in Raleigh (exact location is a secret until just before the event). This dinner has an Oktoberfest theme where you’ll grab your complimentary beer stein at the door, and enjoy German-inspired foods – passed hors d’oeuvres, a carving station and a smorgasbord featuring sausages and other culinary surprises. $90 gets you unlimited food and 2 drinks. Get your tickets and see a complete list of all the chefs and collaborators involved here. Thanks to Felicia Perry-Trujillo for the tip on this event.

• The town of Garner will hold their second Downtown Garner Trick or Eat Food Truck Rodeo on October 25th from 12-5 on Main Street. They’ll have 14 food trucks, 3 craft brewers, and some activities for children. You can find more details here or on their Facebook event page here.

• The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series, a single-elimination tournament highlighting the best of the Carolina’s food, agriculture and culinary talent, is gearing up for its Battle of Champions series in which five top regional chefs will battle it out to take home the coveted annual championship title. Foodies from the Carolinas and beyond are invited to attend the four live dinner events Oct. 28 to 31 in Raleigh, savoring the full-service, six-course meals and serving as judges. Tickets to these interactive battles go on sale Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. here and are guaranteed to sell out quickly.

• And these next four events aren’t until November, but I’m here to tell you if you wait much longer you won’t be able to get a ticket. Acme Restaurant in downtown Carrboro is known for its “damn good food” AND for its great events. This one tops the list. Their 3rd Annual Salt & Smoke event on Sunday, November 8th. They describe it as “oysters and barbecue, music and friends” but you really need to read about it here and get your tickets here.

• Also on November 8th, another pop-up dinner is being held by the folks over at The Familiar Supper Club over in Durham. The dinner is at 6:30 p.m. The theme is Pumpk(hen) and will feature all that is bountiful in North Carolina in the fall. Join chefs John Childers, Evan Sheridan and Greg Gettles. Cost is $80. Get tickets and all the details here. Thanks to Felicia Perry-Trujillo for the tip on this event.

• And thanks to a tip from Felicia Perry-Trujillo, we learned that The Wine Feed is partnering with Stop Hunger Now and Green Button Farm to bring you Pork & Vine – a pork and wine festival. On November 8, from 12-4 p.m. our 5 restaurant partners will be preparing their pork-inspired dishes in small plates for you to enjoy – all of the pork is provided by Green Button Farm, a humane, certified organic, non-GMO farm. Each small plate will have a sample of wine to match that will be specifically chosen by The Wine Feed. The cost ranges from $40-$50. Get all the details here.

• Expressions V. A Celebration of Food and Art will bring together philanthropists, food and wine enthusiasts and lovers of the arts. The annual event will be held on Friday, November 20 at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, N.C., and will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Lucy Daniels Center. The featured artist for this year’s event is Beverly McIver. Get all the details and learn who the guest chefs are this year here.

• A huge congratulations to the gals behind Pho Nomenal Dumpling food truck (formerly Dump Pho King Truck) as they were the winners of the Food Network’s “Great Food Truck Race.” That is great for them. And what is great for us (and isn’t it all really about us?), there won $50,000 which WRAL is reporting they plan on using toward opening a brick-and-mortar location. No timeline or location was released. Check them out here. Again, congrats!

• John Huisman (aka Triangle Explorer) informed me about the fact that every Thursday from September through November, the town of Knightdale is hosting “Food Truck Thursdays” with a new food truck scheduled each week. The weekly truck will be parked at Knightdale Station Park near the amphitheater each Thursday 11am to 2pm. Check out the schedule here.

• Just a heads up, Cary’s Chatham Street Chowdown originally schedule for Sunday, October 4th has been cancelled. The next Chowdown will be on my birthday, April 17, 2016. Get all the details here.

• For a listing of ALL food truck events, head over to Art’s page, The Wandering Sheppard on all things food truck related here.

Events

• Tonight, October 2, the Edenton Street United Methodist Women are hosting their 5th annual BBQ Dinner benefiting Methodist Home for Children and Urban Ministries. Catering is being provided by The Pit Authentic BBQ offering down-home BBQ plates with all the fixin’s, along with children’s chicken tender plates, brunswick stew and BBQ by the pound. Swing by Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh for lunch or dinner! You can dine in or drive through on this rainy Friday. More details and to order online.

• On Sunday, October 4th from 1-4 p.m., the guys behind the soon-to-open Picnic in Durham (Wyatt Dickson and Ben Adams) will be joined by Texas (and soon to be South Carolina) pit-master John Lewis at Fullsteam Brewery (note new location) for a Sunday afternoon “picnic”. This is an opportunity to get up close and personal with these barbecue legends! In addition to the whole hog and beef brisket, they’ll also serve up seasonal sides, alongside chilled wine & beer from Wine Authorities, Ponysaurus and Fullsteam. Get all tickets and all the information here.

• You’ll want to go ahead and mark your calendar for the 2nd Annual Triangle Oktoberfest coming to Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre on October 3rd and 4th. There will be some great authentic German fare as well as some amazing breweries. Get all the details here.

• The 30th annual International Festival of Raleigh will take place October 9 through October 11 at the Raleigh Convention Center. The event features food from 27 different cultures and countries and a biergarten with cask beer tastings. Get all the details and purchase tickets in advance here. Use promo code “TFG15” and get $2 off adult ticket purchase!

• The town of Holly Springs is holding their 6th Annual Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, October 10th at the Holly Springs Farmers Market from 9 – 12:30 p.m. This is a wonderful community event, where both amateurs and professionals compete for both the judges’ approval as well as their fellow citizens with the People’s Choice award. Get all the details here.

• And if you are into eating healthier, you might want to go ahead and get this event on your calendar – the 2015 Triangle Vegfest which will be held at Moore Square and City Market in downtown Raleigh on Saturday, October 17th from noon until 5 p.m. Get all the details here.

• While you’re at it, make sure you mark your calendar for Saturday October 17th (4-8 p.m.) for Knightdale’s “Drafts & Carafe’s” Festival. This  event will also be held at the Knightdale Station Park and feature local wineries, breweries, vendors selling beer/wine related crafts/artwork, music and food trucks.

• The Root Cellar Cafe & Catering announced that their fourth annual Porkapalooza will be held this year on October 23rd at 6:30 p.m. The dinner will feature nine courses celebrating local pork: wood-fired suckling pigs; five-spice, beer-braised pork belly slider with pickled ginger; fried ravioli stuffed with Southern-style BBQ pork and macaroni and cheese, country-fried pork tenderloin pumpkin biscuit slider with bacon mayo and apple slaw, and more. The cost is $55 per person, including beer or wine pairing. Get more details here.

• Chickenwire is holding their next “pop-up” dinner on Sunday, October 25th in Raleigh (exact location is a secret until just before the event). This dinner has an Oktoberfest theme where you’ll grab your complimentary beer stein at the door, and enjoy German-inspired foods – passed hors d’oeuvres, a carving station and a smorgasbord featuring sausages and other culinary surprises. $90 gets you unlimited food and 2 drinks. Get your tickets and see a complete list of all the chefs and collaborators involved here. Thanks to Felicia Perry-Trujillo for the tip on this event.

• The town of Garner will hold their second Downtown Garner Trick or Eat Food Truck Rodeo on October 25th from 12-5 on Main Street. They’ll have 14 food trucks, 3 craft brewers, and some activities for children. You can find more details here or on their Facebook event page here.

• The Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series, a single-elimination tournament highlighting the best of the Carolina’s food, agriculture and culinary talent, is gearing up for its Battle of Champions series in which five top regional chefs will battle it out to take home the coveted annual championship title. Foodies from the Carolinas and beyond are invited to attend the four live dinner events Oct. 28 to 31 in Raleigh, savoring the full-service, six-course meals and serving as judges. Tickets to these interactive battles go on sale Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. here and are guaranteed to sell out quickly.

• And these next two events aren’t until November, but I’m here to tell you if you wait much longer you won’t be able to get a ticket. Acme Restaurant in downtown Carrboro is known for its “damn good food” AND for its great events. This one tops the list. Their 3rd Annual Salt & Smoke event on Sunday, November 8th. They describe it as “oysters and barbecue, music and friends” but you really need to read about it here and get your tickets here.

• Also on November 8th, another pop-up dinner is being held by the folks over at The Familiar Supper Club over in Durham. The dinner is at 6:30 p.m. The theme is Pumpk(hen) and will feature all that is bountiful in North Carolina in the fall. Join chefs John Childers, Evan Sheridan and Greg Gettles. Cost is $80. Get tickets and all the details here. Thanks to Felicia Perry-Trujillo for the tip on this event.