Award-winning “farm-to-fork” chef Deborah Madison is spending two days at Davidson College this week, with meals open to the public. See below.

Davidson Beverage Co. will host another beer & chocolate tasting this Friday. Meanwhile, a group of Cornelius eateries is joining hands in the first “United We Dine” fundraiser for the United Way, on Friday, Nov. 16. Community School of Davidson High School on Armour Street is organizing a Food Truck Rally, on Friday, Nov. 16 as well, to celebrate the groundbreaking for a big renovation. Restaurants in Charlotte and the Lake Norman area will celebrate National Hospice Month in November with “Dining Out for Hospice.”And in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, local restaurants with ties in the Northeast are holding fundraisers to help with storm relief funds.

UNITED WE DINE

Cornelius restaurants will raise money for the United Way on Friday , Nov. 16, with a fundraising day dubbed “United We Dine.” They’ll donate a percentage of the day’s sales during breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Participating restaurants are: Prosciutto’s Pizzeria & Pub, Tenders Fresh Food, Honeybaked Ham Cafe, Big Bite’Z Grill, Harvey’s in Cornelius, Brooklyn South, Galway Hooker, Mama’s Pizzeria , Gabi’s Coffee, and Santorinis.

YES, BEER & CHOCOLATE

Davidson Beverage Co. and Jamu Chocolates will stage another in their series of beer and chocolate tastings this Friday, Nov. 9, at 7pm at Davidson Beverage Co. in South Main Square, Davidson.

For $20 per person, you get a tasting of 6 craft beers and 6 signature chocolates. Examples of pairings are: Dark Chocolate and Espresso Truffle with New Holland Dragon’s Milk Barrel Ale, Cinnamon-Cayenne Truffle with Lagunitas Brown Shugga’ American Strong Ale, and Raspberry Mayhem with Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break.

Stop by Davidson Beverage to buy a ticket, or call 704-255-6232. The specialty beer store is at 442 S. Main St., Davidson.

CHEF DEBORAH MADISON AT DAVIDSON

Davidson College invites the public to meet acclaimed farm-to-table chef Deborah Madison on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 8 and 9. This two-time winner of the “Julia Childs Cookbook of the Year” award will be featured on two occasions.

On Thursday, November 8, Chef Madison will host a “squash tasting” in the Lilly Family Gallery of Chambers Building beginning at 11am. The event will feature seven or eight different squash dishes that attendees can taste and learn how to cook. There is no charge to attend.

On Friday, Nov. 9, Chef Madison will coordinate a meal and speak with diners in Davidson’s Vail Commons dining hall from 11am to 1:45pm. The cost is $10.25 per person. Entrees will include braised chicken with dried fruit and shallots, savory goat cheese tart with leeks and chickpeas, and greens with Moroccan spices—all served with a side of tri-color quinoa served pilaf style. Madison will also serve “soups for the soul,” including red lentil with turmeric, rice and lime, winter squash with lemon grass and coconut milk, and smoky tomato bisque. Desserts will include olive oil cake, oat cake and other assorted delicacies.

Chef Madison founded San Francisco’s famous Greens Restaurant in 1979. It was one of the first establishments to promote the farm-to-table movement by using fresh, organic produce as a base for meals. The New York Times hailed Greens as “the restaurant that brought vegetarian food out from sprout-infested health food stores and established it as a cuisine in America.”

Prior to Greens Restaurant, Chef Madison was chef at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and at Alice Water’s Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, Calif. In 2001 she opened Café Escalera in Santa Fe, N.M., where she has lived since that time.

Chef Madison has also taught cooking for more than twenty years and is the author of 11 cookbooks, including Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and Local Flavors. She was inducted into “Who’s Who in American Wine and Food” in 2006.

For more information about her visit to Davidson, call Davidson College Executive Chef Craig Mombert at 704-894-2600.

RESTAURANTS CHIP IN FOR HURRICANE RELIEF

Many area restaurants are doing what they can to raise money or collect supplies for hurricane relief after last week’s big storm in the Northeast.

New Jersey natives Vincent and Nancy DiGiorgio of Campania Cafe in Davidson are donating 10 percent of all sales in November to help victims of Hurricane Sandy. “As New Jersey natives, many of our customers have come in the restaurant asking us about our family and sending well wishes,” they said in an email Sunday. “Although many of our family and friends are still without power and heat, fortunately, everyone that we know is in good health and spirits. … To help from afar, we have decided to dedicate the month of November to fundraising for Hurricane Sandy victims. Money will go to the Red Cross New Jersey Crossroads Disaster Relief Fund. Campania Cafe & Trattoria is at 416 S. Main St., Davidson.

Restaurants in Charlotte’s EpiCentre complex are chipping in this week to raise funds and collect donations. Through Friday, Nov. 9, BlackFinn American Saloon, Vida Mexican Kitchen & Cantina and StrikeCity are all donating 20 percent of lunch sales towards the fundraising efforts. Patrons can simply let their server know that they are “Dining for Sandy Relief.”

“We’ve been seeing all the destruction that has taken place in New York and along the Jersey Shore and knew we wanted to help,” said Jeremy Ashe, general manager of BlackFinn American Grille. “There are so many New Yorkers that live here in Charlotte and we’ve heard from countless regulars about people in their families that have been directly impacted by the storm. We wanted to get involved and send money up their way to help out during this difficult time.”

Meanwhile, Libretto’s Pizza in EpiCentre and a second location at Ballantyne in south Charlotte are collecting supplies for those hit hard on Staten Island. Scot Bragman, an employee at the uptown pizzeria, and another coworker will be driving the 639 miles up to the 122nd Precinct, ground zero for destruction on the Island. Items requested are toiletries, non-perishable foods and bottled water. Anyone who would like to send supplies are asked to drop these items off at one of the Libretto’s locations this week.

Piano Man singalong bar on Bethel Church Road, off West Catawba Avenue, is hosting a benefit show Friday, Nov. 9, at 7:30pm. The dueling piano bar will charge $5 admission to the show, which will raise money for the American Red Cross. (See a Facebook posting about the event.)

Paddy’s Pour House at Shops on the Green, off Torrence Chapel Road in Cornelius, will have a Jersey Shore relief party Thursday night, Nov. 8. Beginning at 6pm bring in a “sizable” donation and receive a free pint of beer. It’s an ’80s Jersey theme night with ’80s prices: $1 beers and $3 shots. Paddy’s also will have a 50/50 raffle to raise money for the cause and to help a trip that some neighbors will be taking this weekend to deliver supplies to the Jersey shore. The night’s music will be all New Jersey – Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny, and more.

On Saturday, a group of Cornelius neighbors will be driving a truck up to New Jersey to deliver the supplies. They’re seeking donations of food, blankets, winter clothes, bottled water, powdered drinks, pet foot, first aid supplies etc. Bring items to Paddy’s. Organizer Jeannie Rose said the delivery would go to the town of Brick, where her family hails from. Cash donations will go St. Mary’s By The Sea Episcopal Church.

DINING NOTES & EVENTS

• Community School of Davidson High School will host a food truck rally in its parking lot, 404 Armour St., Davidson, on Friday, Nov. 16, 6-9pm. The school will celebrate the groundbreaking of a final building renovation. Trucks include include Maki Taco, Papi Queso, and Turkey &, with dishes such as Coconut Curry Chicken Tacos, Wasabi Shrimp, Japanese Hibachi, gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, soups, Mac and Cheese with Carolina Pulled Pork and more. Proceeds go to the renovations. Also, student performances and tours of the planned 30,000 square foot renovation.
• Dining Out for Hospice – In honor of National Hospice Month, many local restaurants in counties served by Hospice and Palliative Care of the Charlotte Region HPCCR will host a “Dining Out for Hospice” day. On their designated day, each restaurant will donate 10 to 15 percent of their sales to either Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region, Hospice & Palliative Care Lake Norman, Hospice & Palliative Care Lincoln County, or Levine & Dickson Hospice House. The eateries include: Thurs., Nov. 8, Restaurant X, 408 South Main St., Davidson; Wed., Nov. 14, Dressler’s, Birkdale Village, 8601 1-A Lindholm Dr., Huntersville; and Monday, Nov. 19, Sabi Asian Bistro, 130 Harbour Place Drive, Davidson. Additional restaurants, dates, and locations may be offered throughout the month. Please check hpccr.org for the updated list.
• Restaurant X in Davidson will celebrate its 6th birthday on Nov. 15. To celebrate, they’re hosting a wine & dinner night at 7pm on that date. Dinner is $60 per person. Call ahead for reservations or more information 704-892-9369. Restaurant X is at 408 S. Main St., in South Main Square (next to Fuel Pizza).
• Cocktails and Cruise Info – Julie Harris of Solis Escapes and Andrea McClure of Regent Seven Seas Cruises will host a cocktail party with hors d’oeuvres and information about ocean cruises on Thursday, Nov. 6, 6:30 to 9:30pm, at Campania Cafe, 416 S. Main St., Davidson. RSVP: julie@solisescapes.com

HAVE NEWS?

Have dining news to share? New restaurants? Special events? Email editor@davidsonnews.net. Dining news appears on the Food & Dining pages on CorneliusNews.net and DavidsonNews.net.