Kitchens on wheels share favorite recipes
Fast food: Chicago-based food writer Heather Shouse will discuss her new book, “Food Trucks: Dispatches and Recipes from the Best Kitchens on Wheels,” and reveal some of her favorite mobile food vendors from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 24, at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, 500 N. Dunton Ave.
On her coast-to-coast adventure, Shouse tracked down some of the nation's top trucks. She introduces the chefs behind the trend and shares some of their recipes. She'll even tell you how to track them down yourself.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase and Shouse will stick around to sign copies. The program is free. Register at (847) 392-0100 or at ahml.info.
Families can have fun with food, learn to play a new action puzzle game from Nickelodeon and give back to their community all by stopping at Gurnee Mills June 20.
Super Duper Mini Chefs, hosted by the Simon Kidgits Club and sponsored by Nickelodeon, will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20, in the Gurnee Mills Dine-O-Rama food court. The event encourages aspiring young cooks to get creative with food through a combination of demonstrations and interactive activities like making cookie-cutter sandwiches and assembling salads. Children also can take home a recipe card for Spaghetti Tacos, an imaginative meal from an “iCarly” episode, and a Simon Kidgits Club plate.
Learn more about the Simon Kidgits Club and Super Duper Mini Chefs events at simon.com/kidgits. Gurnee Mills is off the Tri-State Tollway at Grand Avenue in Gurnee.
Strawberries galore: A celebration of all things strawberries kicks off Friday in historic Long Grove.
The village's annual three-day Strawberry Festival draws thousands of people each year to revel in these sweet summer berries. Strawberry lovers will go wild for the likes of chocolate-covered strawberries, fresh strawberry drinks and strawberry short cake, doughnuts and ice creams. Long Grove's shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants will offer a wide variety of strawberry-themed foods, drinks and merchandise. There's also a pie-eating contest and loads of children's activities on the schedule.
The festival runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, June 22; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 23; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 24. There's a suggested donation of $5 for adults.
Downtown Long Grove is between Old McHenry and Robert Parker Coffin roads.
Artful tasting: Discover Michigan wines that have captured national and international accolades at the 2012 Traverse City Wine and Art Festival Saturday, June 30.
“These wines have lush fruit on both the nose and the palate,” winemaker Lee Lutes said of the 2011 harvest. “They have body in the mouth that only comes from well-developed fruit, and there is a lingering finish that simply begs for food.”
The festival brings together the region's finest wines (some 125 of them) to be enjoyed alongside food, art and music (Rusted Root tops the lineup).
The festival runs 3 to 10 p.m. Tickets cost $20 in advance; $25 at the door. Details and tickets at travesecitywinefestival.com.
Ÿ Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at dpankey@dailyherald.com or (847) 427-4524. Be her friend at Facebook.com/debpankey.dailyherald or follow her on Twitter @PankeysPlate.