Foodie Things To Do This Weekend and Beyond

Food Events in New Jersey

July 10th – 16th: Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Fair – The Mt. Carmel Society in Hammonton is celebrating its 138th Feast of Our Lady Mt. Carmel with an Italian festival. In addition to music and entertainment, the fair will feature Italian delicacies, including steak and meatball sandwiches, Italian pork and broccoli rabe, and cannolis!

July 12th – 14th: New Jersey State Barbecue Championship℠ – The New Jersey State Barbecue Championship℠ is a three-day open-air festival in North Wildwood featuring championship barbecue competition, live cooking demonstrations, special displays, and food and beverage vendors to satisfy every taste and appetite. This year, it will take place in conjunction with the Anglesea Blues Festival so that you can enjoy blues music with your barbeque ribs, chicken, brisket, pork, and more. Admission is free!

July 13th: Farm to Table Family Brunch – Mommies 24/7, a Hoboken-based organization, will host a family friendly brunch at 9 am this Saturday. Kids under five eat free, brunch is fixed at $22.95 for regular tickets and comes with cartoons and skee ball for the youngsters!

July 13th: South Jersey Caribbean Festival – The South Jersey Caribbean Cultural organization presents its third annual festival, from 12 – 8 pm this Saturday. The cultural celebration, held at Wiggins Park in Camden, has free admission and will feature plenty of music, dancing, and entertainment in addition to Caribbean food!

July 13th: Pick of the Season Cooking Demonstration: Chef and Master Gardener Cynthia Triolo will showcase ways to use the bounty of the season–blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and peaches. The demonstration will take place at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township from 1 – 3 pm this Saturday. Tickets are $25.

July 13th – 14th: Bradley Beach Lobster Festival – Enjoy free admission to the Bradley Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Lobster Festival, Saturday from 11 am – 9 pm and Sunday from 11 am – 6 pm. The celebration will feature lobsters on lobsters in all shapes and forms, live music from six bands, dozens of vendors, and entertainment for children, including a giant water slide!

July 13th – 14th: BlueBEARy Blast and Celebrate NJ Day – The Camden Children’s Garden will celebrate both blueberries and New Jersey pride this weekend. Bring your little ones for crafts, fun, and blueberries!

July 14th: Barefoot Grape Stomping – The Four Sisters Winery in Belvidere offers this unique opportunity on select dates throughout the year. For $53.50 per person, you will receive a formal wine tasting and buffet style meal, along with the main attraction–grape stomping! Shed your shoes and squelch grapes beneath your toes; finish off the occasion with a wine cellar tour and dessert wine tastings. Call 908-475-3671 for tickets.

July 14th: All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival – Enjoy “Sundaes on Sunday” at The Alcove Center’s Ice Cream Festival this Sunday from 12 – 6 pm. Admission is just $5 (and free for children under 2) for access to crafts, games, vendors, and obviously, ice cream!

July 14th – 20th: Cherry Hill Mall Restaurant Week – Break up your shopping next week with visits to any of the 9 restaurants participating in Cherry Hill Mall Restaurant week. Menu discounts and deals are listed here.

July 14th – 28th: New Brunswick Restaurant Week – Monday marks the beginning of New Brunswick’s third annual Restaurant Week. Dozens of restaurants will offer special discounts and offers, detailed here. What better excuse to go out every night?

July 16th: Tea 101–A Brief Introduction – The Bradley Beach Public Library will host Catherine Felegi, author of the blog Tea Love, this Tuesday at 6:45 PM. Join her to learn about the basics of tea and the perfect brew. In addition, enter a raffle sponsored by Tea Spot!

July 19th: Crabulous Crab Day – You won’t leave this festival without extensive knowledge of crabs, and a belly full of them! The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor will host this fun day, from 9:30 am – 3 pm next Friday. Enjoy a crab cake cook off, crab cooking lessons, a crabbing tournament and crab trivia.

July 20th: New Jersey State Ice Cream Festival – Xfinity will sponsor the 11th annual NJ State Ice Cream Festival this year in downtown Toms River, from 11:30 am – 5 pm on July 20th. The fair involves ice cream tastings, games, rides, food, and entertainment, with a more detailed schedule to be posted soon on their website. Who doesn’t love ice cream?

July 20th: NJ State Crab Festival – Ice House Restaurant, 4415 Park Blvd., Wildwood. 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. “Crabby” fun for all ages! Blue Claw crabs! Beer Garden, “must try” crabby bloody mary! Vendors and exciting things for the kids including a crab race at 6 p.m. Live outdoor entertainment all day.

July 25th – 28th: Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival – Headlining talents include: Robert Irvine, Rocco Dispirito and The Neely’s. Join us this summer at the Atlantic City shore for four days of fabulous foods, winning wines and celebrity chefs at the 2013 Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival. View Food & Wine Event Schedule   This Years Celebrity Appearances   Purchase and Event Package

July 31st-  Food Truck Mash-Up  Fun and trendy food trucks will make their inaugural visit to Bergen County on Wednesday, July 31, 2013 from 4 to 10 p.m. at Overpeck Park’s Amphitheater in Ridgefield Park, N.J. Sponsored by Holy Name Medical Center, the Food Truck Mash-Up will showcase more than 20 food trucks selling a variety of delicious foods from Thai to Puerto Rican barbeque to healthy wraps and unique desserts. Holy Name Medical Center will be promoting wellness and living a healthy lifestyle. Admission and parking are free of charge.Live music will be performed by School of Rock all-star and house bands, Bergen native Heather Brave, and 5 Track Mind. Heather’s debut EP, Simply, is now available on iTunes, featuring all self-written songs. For more information visit http://www.northjerseyevents.com/

Month of July: Nationwide Cheese Pairing Contest – Tenaya Darlington, author of Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese and acclaimed cheese enthusiast, has announced a month-long, nationwide cheese pairing contest. Even better, your cheese plate entry must represent your state! Submit a photo of a cheese plate featuring local cheeses or a dish you created involving a cheese from your state. There will be a winner from each of the 48 contiguous states and each will win a copy of her new book, as well as inclusion in a winners post on her blog. Visit her blog for full details.