COOK’S CALENDAR: Restaurant Week continues, World Beer Festival coming soon

Restaurant Week in Columbia, through Jan. 17: Enjoy a favorite or explore something new with special menus and pricing. See the complete list of participating restaurants at www.restaurantweeksouthcarolina.com.

Sign up for a CSA! Community Supported Agriculture shares are available for purchase from area farms. Each farm site will have different prices/sizes/drop-off sites, so check them out to see which is best for you. Typically, a share will consist of a box of vegetables and/or fruit grown on site, but other forms of farm products (meats and cheeses) might be available. Here are some local CSAs: City Roots, cityroots.org/csa/; Pinckney’s Produce (also delivers to USC-Columbia campus), www.pinckneysproduce.com/csa/; Brown Box Veggies (gathers from area farms), www.brownboxveggies.com; and Gruber Family CSA Farm, gruber-csa-farm.com

Have Lunch at Old McCaskill’s Farm begins at noon every Friday. Served buffet style, first come, first served, $10 per person. Check out the farm store while you’re there for farm-raised meats, cheeses and more. 377 Cantey Lane, Rembert, (803) 432-9537, www.oldmccaskillfarm.com.

Take a trip, see a farm: The South Carolina Agritourism Association has created a Passport Program for farms in order to educate folks on what the agriculture industry means to the state. Participants can get a passport from any of the 44 farms on the tour and the more stamps collected in the passport, the more chances to win prizes, with one winner taking home $100 in Certified SC products. https://agriculture.sc.gov/divisions/agency-services/agritourism/.

Speaking of farms ... Ag+Art Tour seeking participants for the June program. Farmers in Horry, Chesterfield, Darlington, Lancaster, York, Fairfield, Kershaw, Cheraw and Union counties are asked to participate as hosts to a self-guided tour featuring farms, local artists and farmers markets. The farm recruitment site has been set up at www.agandarttour.com/farms and has information about the tour, county chairperson contact information and a link to the online Google-doc application. There is no fee to participate as a farm site. Deadline for interested farm sites to apply is 5 p.m. Feb. 12.

Historic Columbia’s Happy Hour at Hollings Library: 5:30-7 p.m. Jan. 15, features rare books and local whiskey. Enjoy a tasting of Crouch Distilling whiskey and explore the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections’ exhibition of Pat Conroy: A Retrospective, then take a VIP tour of the vails. Food and drink will be served in the Brittain Gallery, where you can find works of Hemingway, Audubon and others. For ages 21 and older; tickets $15 for Historic Columbia members, $20 general public, reservations recommended. Hollings Special Collections Library at Thomas Cooper, 1322 Greene St., library.sc.edu/p/libraries/Hollings www.historiccolumbia.org.

Farm to Table Event Co. Smoke and Beer Dinner: 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19, at City Roots featuring executive chef Frank Bradley from Bourbon preparing a four-course family style dinner of smoked meats paired with craft beer selections from Conquest Brewing Co. Tickets $75 per person, includes beer cocktail, available at eventbrite.com. Gratuity not included. 1005 Airport Blvd.

World Beer Festival Columbia: Noon to 10 p.m. Jan. 23 at Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. Tickets available online and at Craft + Draft and Green’s Beverages locations. General admission $40 in advance, $50 at door, includes tasting glass with unlimited 2-ounce tastings from more than 200 beers and access into the Art of Beer Experience for beer ingredient samplings, pairings, educational seminars, brewery discussions and more; VIP ticket, $85, includes bonus selection of rare and unique beers, access to Belgian Bier Garden, private VIP lounge, 3-issue subscription to All About Beer magazine. All ticketholders will enjoy an expanded selection of beers from South Carolina, Silent Disco, live music. More information, tickets at allaboutbeer.com.

Learn to become a farmer 1. Incubator Farm plots available at Sandhill Research and Education Center on Clemson Road in Columbia. Participants in the Agriculture Incubator Program will have access to up to a 1/2 acre of irrigated land, a packing shed, equipment use, access to technical assistance, access to markets and training opportunities. Fee of $350 per year for up to three years, plus required safety and operation training. Contact Harry Crissy, hcrissy@clemson.edu (use “Columbia Incubator” in subject line) or call (843) 730-5211.

Learn to become a farmer 2. Applications are being accepted through March 14 for the Growing New Farmers Program, a partnership between Lowcountry Local First and College of Charleston’s School of Professional Studies. This 6-month program offers a Certificate of Sustainable Agriculture and an optional apprenticeship, providing introductory agricultural production and business education while also incorporating hands-on training in the field. lowcountrylocalfirst.org/gnf-apprentice-program

33rd Annual Lowcountry Oyster Festival: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 31 at Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant. Live music, wine and beer, oyster shucking and oyster eating contests, children’s area and more. Rain or shine, no pets or coolers. Tickets $17.50 in advance, $25 at gate; VIP tickets $100 in advance, includes access to VIP lane at entry and VIP tent; available at www.charlestonrestaurantassociation.com.

Charleston Wine + Food tickets are on sale (some events are sold out!). Events are scheduled March 2-6 at locations in and around Charleston. charlestonwineandfood.com

Cream of the Crop Beer Festival, noon-5 p.m. March 26 at City Roots. In conjunction with Midlands Craft Beer Supporters Beer Week (Soda City Suds), sample and enjoy craft beers from North and South Carolina. Tickets $45, sold in advance only, includes tasting glass and beer guide, at eventbrite.com. Available for sale will be food from Bourbon, The Oak Table and Wurst Wagen, pints of beer and attendees will be able to fill their growlers at the end of the event for a fee.

Asheville Wine & Food Festival tickets on sale for the Grand Tasting at reduced prices until midnight on Jan, 14. Save 15% off regular tickets ($65 per person) and VIP ($100 per person) by using the password AWFF16 at checkout on Ticketmaster. More information at www.ashevillewineandfood.com)

Wednesday Wine Tasting at Gervais & Vine: 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, sample a few while enjoying live music; or check out the Happy Hour Wine Flights, 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, three 2-ounce glasses for $8. 620 Gervais St. (803) 799-8463, www.gervine.com.

Wine Wednesdays at Craft And Draft will feature select wines at $5 per glass and three to four wines that will be available for sampling and buying. Craft and Draft is at 2706 Devine St. (803) 764-2575, www.craftanddraftbeer.com

Two Gals and a Fork Food Tours and Historic Columbia partner for Vista food tours Jan. 23 and Feb. 27. Choose your time: 11 a.m. or 4 p.m., tours last 2 1/2 hours. Guests will visit five Vista restaurants for a tasting of their specialties while hearing about the history of Columbia and the Vista. Tickets start at $30, available at www.twogalsfoodtours.com or call (803) 360-0578.

Columbia Food Tours takes you on a walking tour of downtown Columbia to experience the culture and cuisine of the capital city. Sign up for a tour, gather at the State House steps, and visit six to eight of Columbia restaurants and sample items. Tours last 2 1/2 hours, rain or shine. Details and ticket reservations, $42 per person, at www.columbiafoodtours.com

Columbia Brew Bus offers tours of Columbia’s beer scene. A standard tour, $45, includes pickup at one of the partner restaurants (Flying Saucer, Liberty Tap Room or World of Beer) and stops at Conquest Brewing, River Rat Brewery and Swamp Cabbage Brewing. At each stop you get at least 16 ounces of beer samples, brewery tour, Q&A with brewery staff and opportunity to buy brewery merchandise. Along the way, enjoy sightseeing, light snacks, trivia and prizes, coolers to keep purchases cold and an all-S.C. music playlist curated by Scene SC. www.columbiabrewbus.com

Greenville Brew Tours offers Saturday tours of breweries, an overview of the brewing processes and tastings of craft beers with a final stop at The Greenville Growler Station, a leading craft beer tavern in Greenville. Participating breweries include Thomas Creek, Brewery 85, Quest Brewing and Swamp Rabbit Brewery with occasional excursions to Charlotte, Asheville, N.C., and Athens, Ga. Tickets are $55 per person. Private tours available. greenvillebrewtours.com.

Helping hands

FoodShare Columbia connects families and communities with affordable fresh fruits and vegetables from local and regional farmers. The partnership of the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department, Richland Library, USC School of Medicine, EdVenture Children’s Museum and the Columbia Housing Authority provides boxed food that can be ordered twice a month, between 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-7 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Bellfield Cultural Arts Center at 2611 Grant St., (803) 255-8161. Cost is $20; $10 for SNAP participants. Cash and EBT accepted.

Calling all chefs – current, retired and experienced: Cooking Matters, a new cooking and nutrition education curriculum, will offer cooking and nutrition classes for adults and is looking for volunteers to share their skills. Email Shorus Manning at manninse@dhec.sc.gov

Juniper cooking class with Chef Brandon Velie, 6-8 p.m. Jan. 28. Prepare delicious gluten-free dishes everyone can enjoy. $40 per person includes recipes, tasting and glass of wine. Reserve a seat, (803) 685-7547 or email restaurant_juniper@hotmail.com. Juniper is at 640 East Main St., Ridge Spring.

Learn to make sushi at SakiTumi: Wednesdays by appointment, couples and small groups can call and arrange classes in the art of making sushi. Pricing options include food and class or choose to include wine or hot sake. Call (803) 931-0700 after 2 p.m. for scheduling or information. SakiTumi is at 807 Gervais St.

Columbia’s Cooking: “Cooking for Optimal Health,” Jan. 27-April 13, a program designed to help participants learn how to shop for, prepare and plan healthy, delicious, plant-based meals. Plant-based diets have been shown to help prevent and reduce the use of certain medications, improve sleep, achieve weight loss without portion control or calorie counting, increase energy and improve digestion and lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure. This program, meeting every Wednesday, includes 12 participatory cooking and nutrition lessons, guest chef cooking classes, a 30-minute individual session with Nutritionist Trisha Mandes, meals, recipes, curriculum book, cooking and lecture videos that you can watch and relearn at your leisure, Weekly Rockstar Missions and a certificate of completion. Also included are 9 free potlucks, held once a month for 9 months after the completion of the program to provide additional social support, and membership to Columbia’s Cooking private Facebook group where you can ask questions, share recipes and enjoy an online place of support and accountability. Registration is limited. $599 if paid in full by Jan. 22; payment plan of $220 for three payments. Find more information and sign up at www.ColumbiasCooking.org or (803) 576-5636

Ballentine Community Center: Flavors of the World cooking class series, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month. Classes, $15 per person. Charlene Lyles, (803) 781-2031.

Cocoa Lab cooking school at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte: Early 2016 classes include: Jan. 16, Magical Macarons (S’more, citrus, Earl Grey and bananas Foster flavors); Feb. 6, Romantic Sweet Treats (pomegranate poached pears, Lady Baltimore cake, Grand Marnier truffles, chocolate chili souffle with vanilla Anglaise); March 19, Favorites from the Punch Room (S’mores torte with milk chocolate mousse, and yogurt-mint panna cotta with hand-blended granola and roasted pineapple); April 9, Elegant Springtime Desserts (honey carrot cake with candied carrots, blueberry lemon tarts, cheesecake mousse with strawberries and rhubarb, and rosemary apricot scones). All class times 8:30 a.m.-noon, $100 per person includes apron, recipe collection and hotel parking. Register by calling (704) 547-2244. The Ritz-Carlton, 201 East Trade St.

Chef Francois Fisera: Join cooking classes at Fleur de Lys Home Culinary Institute. Schedule includes Jan. 19, Kobe beef ribs w/Makers Mark BBQ sauce; Jan. 22, wine tasting with beef Burgundy style; Jan. 26, 29, duck breast flambe w/Grand Marnier orange sauce. Fleur de Lys is at 3001 Millwood Ave. (803) 765-9999 or fleurdelyscolumbiasc.com.

Let’s Cook Culinary Studio: Jan. 14, hands-on Italian supper; Jan. 15, coq au vin; Jan. 17, Truffle & Hazlenut Dinner with Chef Carlo Zarri at 492 King in Charleston (contact restaurant for reservation); Jan. 18, Truffle & Hazelnut Dinner, at Alodia’s in Columbia (contact restaurant for reservation); Jan. 19, Truffle & Hazelnut Dinner at Figaro’s in Newberry (contact restaurant for reservation); Jan. 22, hands-on pasta; Jan. 29, small plate Italian. Detailed listings at letscookculinary.com. Let’s Cook is at 1305 Assembly St., (803) 348-5874

McCutchen House at USC: Chef du jour classes (9 a.m.-1 p.m.): Jan. 30, laminated doughs (extended class time, 6 hrs); Feb. 20, Holiday Dinner Made Easy; March 5, Bread 101 (extended class time, 6 hrs); March 19, jams & jellies; April 2, Fish & Seafood 101; April 16, gourmet pizza on a budget. Wine classes: Jan. 26, Wines from Chile; Feb. 2, 10 for $20; Feb. 16, BBQ & Beer; March 1, For Red Lovers; April 12, Picnic Wines. Registration for classes through McCutchen House or call Becky Moran (803) 777-8225, moranrs@mailbox.sc.edu

Rosewood Market Farmers Market: 4-7 p.m. every Friday, 2803 Rosewood Drive. (803) 256-6410 www.rosewoodmarket.com

Soda City Market: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. every Saturday at the 1500 block of Main Street; mini-market every Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Marriott on Main. www.sodacitysc.com