This year’s Asheville Artisan Bread Festival—the fourth annual edition—will feature return visits from bread maker extraordinaire Peter Reinhart, local mavens Jen Lapidus and Pierre Lestieux, and Culinary Institute of Charleston’s star instructor Jeffrey Alexander. All four bakers will lead workshops at the daylong festival, scheduled for Saturday, March 29, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Greenlife Grocery. More than a dozen local artisanal bakeries will also have loaves for sale (you need to buy at least one to earn admission to the classes). To learn more, call 683-2902.
And should you need something to do with all that good bread, the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville is hosting an olive oil tasting on March 27 at 7 p.m. The workshop, which also includes a foccacia-making demonstration, is $25. For reservations, call 452-6000.
Even if chocolate isn’t good for you, it’s definitely good for the Haywood/Jackson Volunteer Center. The nonprofit has scheduled its annual chocolate bonanza, featuring chocolate creations from professional and amateur chefs, for Friday, April 11. Tickets to Taste of Chocolate at the Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville are $20; call 452-9442 for more information.
