Top 6 Weekend Food Events: Walter Manzke, Debbie Lee, Jane Austen, International Food Bloggers Conference, Pizza Festival, Speed Rack

Jane Austen, spinach and tomato pizza, Walter Manzke.

12 Chefs, 12 Months, 12 Charities: Walter Manzke
To celebrate 20 years in business, Joe Miller launches a year-long dinner series, inviting guest chefs to prepare a monthly prix-fixe feast with the proceeds benefiting St. Vincent Meals on Wheels. The debut dinner will be helmed by former Church & State chef Walter Manzke, who's prepping to open République in downtown L.A. The five-course menu includes Hawaiian kampachi, Santa Barbara sea urchin, Maine lobster, veal sweetbreads, foie gras and avocado panna cotta. (Look for future chefs Josiah Citrin, Josef Centeno and Andrew Kirschner.)
WHEN: Nov. 10
WHERE: Joe's Restaurant
COST: $120/person (+$35, wine pairings). Reservations: (310) 399-5811, www.joesrestaurant.com.

Debbie Lee Book Signing
Debbie Lee will sign her book, Seoultown Kitchen: Korean Pub Grub to Share With Family and Friends, which features some of the same recipes at her newly opened restaurant, Ahn Joo Snack Bar.
WHEN: 7 p.m., Nov. 10
WHERE: Barnes & Noble at The Americana (Glendale)
COST: Free

International Food Bloggers Conference
The only thing more boring than the act of writing is the act of talking about writing, but if you're a food blogger or want to be one, here's your chance to spend three days networking, trading war stories and learning from the success of your peers. If you figure out what it means to be a restaurant critic in the year 2011, let us know.
WHEN: Nov. 11-13
WHERE: Santa Monica - Double Tree / Hilton: 1707 Fourth St., Santa Monica
COST: $350

Sweets In The Time Of Jane Austen
If we can have love in the time of cholera, why not sweets in the time of Jane Austen? Kirstin Olsen, author of Cooking With Jane Austen, will discuss sweets and cakes in the Regency Era including pies, the "bride-cake" mentioned in Emma and how sweet dishes fit into a meal in the year 1800. Recipes will be provided. (Presented by the Culinary Historians of Southern California.)
WHEN: 10:30 a.m., Nov. 12
WHERE: Mark Taper Auditorium, Los Angeles Central Library
COST: Free

Pizza Festival
Featuring live demonstrations by celebrity chefs, pizza dough tricks from the US Pizza team and plenty of wines, spirits and pizza snacks, this festival (chaired by none other than Joe Pesci) benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
WHEN: 1-5 p.m., Nov. 12
WHERE: Olympic Collection (West LA)
COST: $25, www.pizzafestival.net.

Speed Rack
In this contest of speed, skill and style, L.A.'s hottest lady bartenders compete to see who can shake and stir cocktails with the most precision and flair. Proceeds go to breast cancer charities.
WHEN: 3-7 p.m., Nov. 13
WHERE: Roosevelt Hotel
COST: $20 (buy tix here)