Top 5 Weekend Food Events: Chocolate Fest, Menu Design, Coffee Roasting, Knife Skills, The Last Chinese Chef

By Elina Shatkin Thu., Feb. 9 2012 at 11:00 AM

Categories: Events & Festivals

Guzzle & Nosh

Chocolate Mousse Cake at Cafe del Rey

Indulge Los Angeles
This chocolate festival and pastry show features dozens of top chocolatiers and candymakers paired with champagnes, wines and spirits. Benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
WHEN: 1-5 p.m., Feb. 11
WHERE: Olympic Collection
COST: $65, general; $175, VIP (buy tix here)

American Menu Design
Jim Heimann, one of the co-authors of the fabulous Taschen book Menu Design in America will host a talk about the graphic appeal of menus as well as what they say about American eating habits. Presented by the Culinary Historians of Southern California.
WHEN: 10:30 a.m., Feb. 11
WHERE: Mark Taper Auditorium at the Downtown Central Library
COST: Free

Home Coffee Roasting
Learn to roast, brew and taste coffee using basic stovetop equipment from master roaster Ian Riley of LAMILL Coffee. You'll go home with your freshly roasted beans and a stash of green ones to practice with at home.
WHEN: 10 a.m. - noon, Feb. 11
WHERE: Zane Grey Estate: 396 E Mariposa St., Altadena
COST: $95 (buy tix here)

The Last Chinese Chef
Author Nicole Mones joins the Autry Book Club to discuss her third novel, The Last Chinese Chef, which explores Chinese food, culture and philosophy set against a romantic plot. Mones' other bestselling novels are "Lost in Translation" and "A Cup of Light."
WHEN: 2 - 4 p.m., Feb. 12
WHERE: Autry National Center
COST: $10, adults; $6, students; $4, children

Knife Skills
Chicks With Knives will teach a pair of hands-on classes. Knife Skills 101 covers basic vegetable cuts, julienne, chiffonade and other skills, while Knife Skills 2 covers basic butchery.
WHEN: 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Feb. 12
WHERE: Sqirl
COST: $100 - $135 (buy tix here and here)