Strawberries at the Davidson Farmer’s Market.

Davidson Farmer’s Market hosts its annual Strawberry Shortcake Day fundraiser this Saturday, May 11, with proceeds going toward the market operations. The event runs 9:30 to 11am (or until supplies last) at the market next to Davidson Town Hall. They’ll have homemade strawberry shortcakes for $5 each. Read the full story

A server from Toast Cafe hands off a sample of the Chicken Florentine. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Hundreds of diners young and old tested out the soups at the ninth annual Souper Bowl, a fundraiser for the Davidson Housing Coalition at Davidson College on Saturday. After the last ballot was cast, The Brickhouse Tavern‘s Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice came out on top, as the day’s best overall soup. Read the full story

Missy Kuykendall prepares to taste the soups at a previous Souper Bowl. This year’s event is Feb. 2. (Bill Giduz photo)

The most popular culinary cook-off in Lake Norman — the Davidson Housing Coalition’s “Souper Bowl” — will be held Saturday, Feb. 2, at Davidson College. Eight area restaurants will be serving their tastiest soups from 11am to 2pm in the Lilly Family Gallery of the college’s Chambers Building in the heart of campus.

This year’s competing restaurants are: Brickhouse Tavern, Jeffrey’s Restaurant, Alton’s Kitchen & Cocktails, Armin’s Catering, Campania Café & Trattoria, Toast Café, Restaurant X, and Flatiron Kitchen + Taphouse. Read the full story

The Davidson Elementary School’s Parent Teacher Organization is raising money this winter with the help of local restaurants with a weekly fundraiser called “Dine Out for Davidson Elementary. Every Monday or Tuesday, a different area restaurant will make donation to the PTO if you mention the school when you order. Read the full story

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. Read the full story

Scoopers from left: Eric Hilse, Karen Toney, Julio Ramirez, Katherine Hilton, and Ron Raeford. Not pictured Caroline Queen and Courtney Spear. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Ben & Jerry’s in Davidson and local celebrity scoopers helped raise $438 Wednesday night, Oct. 3, for Davidson Cornelius Child Development Center. Read the full story

Il Bosco Ristorante & Bar in Davidson has renovated its kitchen and added morning coffee and pastries. David Batty has a report. Also below: an anniversary special coming up at area Melting Pots, and results of the Ada Jenkins Center’s Fire BBQ competition. Also, new dinner menu at Flatiron Kitchen. Read the full story

Got skill on the grill? Enter the Ada Jenkins Center’s 2012 “Fire” barbecue cook off and fundraiser on Sept. 29 in Davidson. Meanwhile, dog lovers take note: The Lucky Dog, a new dog-bar on Statesville Road in Cornelius opened its doors Tuesday night. And Wooden Stone gallery in Davidson is hosting a series of cooking classes with chef Vera Samuels. Details below. Read the full story

By CAMILA DOMONOSKE
DavidsonNews.net

Do you like your food and wine with a strong pinch of charity? If so, you’re in luck; the Taste of Art fundraiser in Cornelius tomorrow will be full of wine, food, and cooking, and all for a good cause: supporting the local arts. Then on Monday you can grab a tasty burger at Char-Grill for childhood cancer research, and next Thursday, enjoy an Italian meal and pop open a bottle of wine at Campania for the Jimmy V Foundation. Meanwhile, fans of craft beer, gardening, and live music, we’ve got updates for you as well. Bon appetit! Read the full story

By CAMILA DOMONOSKE
DavidsonNews.net

Chefs from a collection of area restaurants will offer up their best soups this weekend at Soup on Sunday, a fund-raiser for Serenity House, an end-of-life care home in Mooresville. Meanwhile, Davidson Farmer’s Market and Summit Coffee will host a Breakfast of Champions beer-and-bratwurst feast at the market this Saturday. Meanwhile, it’s grand opening weekend at the new Paddy’s Pour House in Cornelius. Read on for more about those and other food events.

Read the full story

An employee of The Egg at Davidson served during last year's Davidson Housing Coalition Souper Bowl fund-raiser. (Bill Jin photo)

The Souper Bowl, a soup cook-off among local chefs that raises money for affordable housing – has become a tradition on Super Bowl weekend in Davidson. This year’s competition is Saturday, Feb. 4, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Davidson College’s Chambers building, Lilly Family Gallery. The lunch includes food, live music and a silent art auction.

The annual event is a benefit for Davidson Housing Coalition, which helps create and preserve affordable housing and prepare people for financial stability and home ownership. Read the full story

More than 100 eateries, including a long list of Lake Norman area favorites, will join the Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week beginning next Friday, Jan. 20. Alton’s Kitchen in Cornelius is getting a jump on the festivities, offering its special menu in a “preview” a week ahead of the festival. Also, the Davidson Housing Coalition has announced the lineup of restaurants that will vie for the best local soups in its 2012 Souper Bowl fundraiser Feb. 4. Read the full story

La Patisserie workers ladeled up soups during Davidson Housing Coalition's 7th annual Souper Bowl fund-raiser on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011, at Davidson College's Lilly Family Gallery. (Bill Jin photo)

Davidson Housing Coalition’s 8th annual Souper Bowl, a feast of soups that raises money for affordable housing, is scheduled Saturday, Feb. 4. Meanwhile, Charlotte Magazine has picked its Restaurateur of the Year, and she is Cassie Parsons, of Grateful Growers farm and Harvest Moon Grille fame. Read the full story

Christina and Chris Phillips own Restaurant X on South Main Street, Davidson. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By MADELEINE DICK-GODFREY
DavidsonNews.net

While many businesses are struggling against the weak economy and have no choice but to downsize or shut down, Davidson’s Restaurant X has managed to thrive, and is celebrating its 5^th anniversary this week, a milestone highlighted with evolution and growth.

“It has been a hard but a great journey,” co-owner, chef and British native Chris Phillips said. “The best part about it has been the people we’ve met. I love that I can call most of my customers, my friends. We love them as much as they love us.” Read the full story

David will wear this hat, and Lederhosen, in a fund-raiser for Ada Jenkins Center at Flatiron Kitchen Thursday night. (Christina Ritchie Rogers/DavidsonNews.net)

Join us for Octoberfest at Flatiron Kitchen Thursday night, Oct. 6, 8-10 p.m., where David Boraks of DavidsonNews.net and CorneliusNews.net will be guest-bartending in this hat — and Lederhosen. (That’s leather fancy pants, for all you English-only types.) Just picture him in Lederhosen. What a sight! Come poke fun, poke fun, take his picture – and feed the tip jar.

All tips go to the Ada Jenkins Center, a regional community services center on Davidson’s West Side. Flatiron Kitchen + Taphouse is at 215 S. Main St. in downtown Davidson.