Expand kitchen repertoire with sauces

Join chef Tim McCoy on Sept. 9 and learn to master classic and modern sauces and their many variations in a four-hour class beginning at 10 a.m. at the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking in Chester Township.

Discover mother sauces, demi glace, hot and cold emulsions, coulis, salsas, pesto cream reductions, beurre blanc and dessert sauces in this hands-on class limited to just 12 students. Feast on a menu that includes wild mushroom crostini, tagliatelle pasta with lemon-basil pesto, chicken scaloppine piccata with artichokes, barbecue pork with smoky tomato demi sauce and tropical salsa, pecan-crusted sea bass with beurre blanc and onion confit, sausage with sweet and sour sauce, strawberry and spinach salad with gingerberry coulis, finished off with chocolate hazelnut cake with chocolate zabaglione and caramel sauce.

The class is $95. Register: 440-729-1110; www.lpscinc.com.

Plant-based burger

A plant-based burger that satisfies so much like its beefy burger counterpart that it’s being sold in the meat section of major grocery stores, including Whole Foods, has debuted at BurgerFi, 8748 Mentor Ave., Mentor.

The all-natural Beyond Burger, which “bleeds” beet juice, is packed with 20 grams of protein and is free of soy, gluten and genetically modified ingredients. Topped with pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato, cheese and mayo, it is also available as a vegan wrap in lettuce without mayo and cheese. 440-974-6265.

Dinner for two

On Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays in September, Molinari’s in Mentor offers a three-course dinner for two with a bottle of house wine priced at $50.

Diners get a choice of salad and then pick between chicken Florentine and brown-sugar brined double pork chops. Lastly, they share a peach sundae for dessert.

Last month’s couples special resulted in a full house many nights, so reservations are a good idea at 440-9742750. Molinari’s is at 8900 Mentor Ave.

September Melt

Melt Bar and Grilled, which has a location in Mentor, has just opened its newest store at 35546 Detroit Road in Avon.

The locally run chain now has five restaurants in Northeast Ohio and two in the Columbus area.

The September special at all of them is a fried chicken sandwich with sweet corn puree, garlic sauteed greens, scalloped potatoes and sharp cheddar.

Free farm tour

Geauga Fresh Farmers Market’s final free farm tour of the season goes to Maplestar Farm in Auburn Township on Sept. 9.

The air-conditioned minibus leaves the farmers market parking lot in South Russell at 1 p.m. The market meets each Saturday morning at South Russell Village Hall, Route 306 and Bell Road.

Although the tour is free, reservations are needed, and children must be accompanied by an adult. Register: 440-474-9885 or cheryl@geaugafarmersmarket.com.