Top 6 Weekend Food Events: Strawberry Festival, Mark Gold Seafood Demo, EggFest, Chocolate Lecture, Beer and Brunch Bike Ride, Hudson Block Party + Smog City Beer Dinner

California Strawberry Festival

strawberry and goat cheese pizza

California Strawberry Festival
Strawberry shortcake? Boring. How about strawberry pizza, nachos or kabobs, along with strawberry beer? More than 40 food booths will offer strawberry-centric items at the California Strawberry Festival. Also expect concerts, contests, amusement park attractions and a couple of hundred arts and crafts vendors.
WHAT: California Strawberry Festival
WHEN: 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m., May 19-20
WHERE: Strawberry Meadows of College Park, 3250 S. Rose Avenue, Oxnard
COST: $12 general admission; $8 for seniors and military; $5 for children 5-12.

A. Scattergood

mussels

A Sustainable Kitchen 3.0: Mark Gold
Join chef Mark Gold (Eva) and Kim Thompson (Seafood for the Future) for an event that mixes a cooking demo with a sustainability lesson. Gold will prepare mussels from Carlsbad Aqua Farms and a local fish from the Dory Fleet in Newport Beach, while Thompson discusses which seafood is safe and wholesome to eat.
WHAT: A Sustainable Kitchen 3.0: Mark Gold
WHEN: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., May 19
WHERE: Test Kitchen at Surfas
COST: Free

Southern California EggFest
Warning, the EggFest is not about eggs! Rather, it's a celebration of the egg-shaped charcoal barbecue called Big Green Egg. Sample Egg-cooked foods and create some dishes of your own. Also expect craft beers, live music and activities for kids.
WHAT: Southern California EggFest
WHEN: 9 a.m.-3 p.m., May 19
WHERE: Cable Airport, 1749 W. 13th St., Upland
COST: $25

Chocolate: The Ancient Maya Drink of the Gods
Dr. Khristaan D. Villela will lecture on the history of chocolate in ancient Maya culture and religion as it is found in the visual arts, hieroglyphic texts and archaeological discoveries. The event's co-sponsor, the Museum of Latin American Art, will sell a variety of Mexican chocolates after the talk.
WHAT: Chocolate: The Ancient Maya Drink of the Gods
WHEN: 2-3 p.m., May 19
WHERE: Hotel Maya
COST: Free

Biking, Brunching and Beer
Take a bike ride from Burbank through Echo Park to Silver Lake, stopping at three beer joints along the way -- starting at Tony's Darts Away and proceeding to Golden Road Brewing and Mohawk Bend. Proceeds benefit the Pablove Foundation, and the top fundraisers win prizes.
WHAT: Biking, Brunching and Beer
WHEN: 9 a.m., May 20
WHERE: Tony's Darts Away, Golden Road Brewing, Mohawk Bend
COST: $25

Hudson Block Party
It wouldn't be a block party without food, so sample corn on a stick, sausages, short rib and fish tacos, chicken sliders, fries, pizzas and mint ice cream sandwiches from the Hudson and the Churchill while watching a lineup of 25 bands and DJs. Thirty retail vendors will be on hand, too, and proceeds benefit SOVA.
WHAT: Hudson Block Party
WHEN: 11 a.m.-11 p.m., May 20
WHERE: The Hudson
COST: $15 or $10 before 2 p.m.

Smog City Brewery at the Tripel
The Tripel hosts Tustin-based Smog City in celebration of American Craft Beer Week. After beer cocktails, try a four-course menu including hot-and-sour cockle soup, black bread with rabbit pate, beet pasta, and homemade candies, all paired with limited-edition beers.
WHAT: Smog City Brewery at the Tripel
WHEN: 6:30-9 p.m., May 21
WHERE: The Tripel
COST: $65