Mentor’s Noosa Bistro ready for new life

Chicken dinners for good causes fill the calendar this week

Chicken lovers will be in hog heaven the next few days with a pair of chicken dinners prepared by homegrown experts as benefits for good causes. Carryout dinners are available at both.

The first is from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 21 at Park United Methodist Church, 31 Park St., Madison Village, where adults will be served for $10 and children 4 through 10 will pay $4.50. It’s free for those 3 and under.

And the Sisters of Notre Dame stage the final Sunday of their 55th annual Barbecue and Boutique from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin gymnasium on the campus of the Notre Dame Educational Center, 13000 Auburn Road, Chardon Township.

Choose barbecued chicken or ribs to accompany the chips, apple pie, coleslaw applesauce and beverages served by the sisters. Homemade items will be available for sale in the boutique.

The place is handicap-accessible, and the barbecue takes place rain or shine.

Misunderstood eggplant

Join chef Ruth Levine, best remembered as the former owner-chef at Bistro 185, as she demystifies the lowly eggplant with her vast cooking experience. Her 2.5-hour demonstration class at the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking, 8613 Mayfield Road, Chester Township, takes place at 6 p.m. Sept. 25.

Learn how to prepare and taste sweet and sour eggplant with crostini; eggplant involtini, ratatouille, baba ghanouj with pita; Asian eggplant with soy, sesame oil, sesame seeds and hot oil; and, finally, a plum tart.

Fee is $55. Register: 440 729-1110; www.lpscinc.com.

Harvest-season wines

Taste six wines ideal for autumn in a tasting at 6 p.m. Sept. 28 at Molinari’s, 8900 Mentor Ave., Mentor.

Four hearty snacks prepared by the kitchen will be included in the event. Tickets, at $30, must be reserved in advance at 440074-2750.

Foods of Italy

The foods of Italy in all their diverse forms are on tap in a class from Judi Strauss from 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 26 in the kitchen at Wildwood Cultural Center, 7645 Little Mountain Road, Mentor.

With classics from polenta and risotto to earthy country dishes, students can expect sampling and recipes to take home.

Register for $17 and pay an additional $9 food fee in cash on class night. Mentor residents get a $3 discount. Call 440-974-5735.

Pumpkin prowess

Start fine-tuning your favorite pumpkin dishes to enter at the Pumpkin Festival, Oct. 7 and 8 in Huntsburg.

All entries must contain pumpkin in categories that include Anything Pumpin, Under 13 and Pumpkin

Pie. Register by 8 a.m. Oct. 7 for judging at 10 a.m. at the Town Hall. Details: 440-636-5486.