Food Festival

EVENTS More than 100 dancers and musicians will gather at the Anatolian Cultures & Food Festival to celebrate the rich cultural traditions of this region in modern-day Turkey. Highlights include whirling dervishes, an all-female Assyrian church choir from the city of Mardin and craftsmen demonstrating ancient arts such as weaving, calligraphy and carving. Orange County Great Park, 6990 Marine Way, Irvine. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Thu.-Sun. One-day pass $12 adult, $6 children, Multi-day pass $20 adult, $9 children.

There they'll stand - the Roman amphitheater of Aspendos, the tomb of the Sufi poet Rumi, the ruins of the Assyrian city of Nimrud, the ancient Armenian church of Akdamar and a dozen other wonders, all splendid in the Southern California sun. Of course, they won't be the real thing, just startlingly realistic sets covered with high-def photos of the original surfaces. But step back a few feet and you can think you're actually in Turkey - or Anatolia, to give the area its historical name.

Although it has been 150 years since Henry Evans revolutionized the American commercial canning industry by inventing a machine that pressed out the tops and bottoms of tin cans, it took more than 50 years for commercial canners to win the trust of the American public. Before Evans' invention, the time-consuming job of making the tops and bottoms of cans was the province of tinsmiths. Suddenly, 1,500 cans could be produced in a day, compared to 120 a day in the early 1840s.

You'll be able to sample bulgur dishes and many more Turkish specialties at the Anatolian Cultures & Food Festival, May 16 to 19 at the Orange County Fairgrounds. For more information on the festival, visit anatolianfestival.org.

The number of people sickened after eating at the Taste of Chicago festival last week has reached 378, the health department said, and 12 are known to have been hospitalized. The outbreak was connected to an herb tomato cucumber salad with hummus.

More than 40,000 food fanciers flocked to the "Taste of L.A." restaurant fete last month in Santa Monica, where for about $4 a serving they could sample lobster cannelloni, duck tamales and goat-cheese lasagna from some of the area's trendiest eateries. But the potential menu for a similar gastronomic extravaganza in Ventura proved a bit too skimpy. A three-day "Taste of the Coast" food fair scheduled for Oct.

"Taste of L.A.," a six-day food festival that ended Sunday night in Santa Monica, had been billed as an event that would provide 50% of its net profit to charity. But the celebration of dining, which attracted some of the area's most popular and high-priced restaurants as participants, reportedly lost as much as $50,000. As a result, no donations will be made to the intended beneficiaries--three local charities involved with helping the hungry and the homeless.

The eighth annual Taste of Orange County boasts of being Southern California's largest food and music festival, and given its new venue, the three-day affair also might lay claim to being the festival with the largest free parking lot. Last year's Taste--held in the Irvine Spectrum--drew as many as 30,000 party-goers daily during its three-day run in late June.

The Taste of Encino food festival raised $16,000 to benefit community schools, the Encino Chamber of Commerce has announced. The money raised from the eighth annual fund-raiser, held in September, will be used to buy equipment and supplies for 11 local schools, according to Jan Sobel, chief executive officer of the chamber. Under an arrangement established by event organizers, the supplies and equipment requested by the schools will be purchased from chamber member businesses.

Imagine, if you will, the ultimate restaurant dining experience. Fantasize tasting savory morsels prepared by a battery of chefs from the most innovative restaurants from the East Coast to the West--all in just one evening. You don't, however, have to merely imagine such a happening. Spago's Wolfgang Puck is making it come true. On Oct. 6, Spago restaurant will present the third annual American Wine & Food Festival from 4 to 8 p.m.

This Sunday afternoon, the intersection of Glendale and Glenfeliz boulevards in Atwater Village will be taken over by brewery tents, wine tasting stations and food trucks for the first Atwater Village Beer, Wine & Food Festival . Organized by the folks behind 55 Degree Wine shop and the adjacent Link N Hops gastropub, and sponsored by the Atwater Village Chamber of Commerce, the festival will showcase more than a dozen breweries ...

The Food Network South Beach Food & Wine Festival kicked off Thursday night with Moët Hennessy's The Q hosted by Paula Deen and sons presented by Omaha Steaks. Several white tents spanning the size of a football field were set up over a section of the beach behind the Delano hotel for the event. Foodies and women holding their heels, walking barefoot dressed in outfits that included club wear and shorts stumbled around in the sand. I sipped the Q, one of the four specialty cocktails at the event, while I tried to spot Deen.

Will Allen -- urban farmer, MacArthur "genius grant" winner and author of "The Good Food Revolution" -- is to join students at John Muir High School in Pasadena and other volunteers next month to build a hoop house for indoor growing and education at the school's gardens. The event is to kick off the second Good Food Festival and Conference , scheduled for Nov. 2-4. The weekend is set to include panel discussions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on issues such as jobs in the food industry, as well as genetically modified crops and Proposition 37, the ballot measure on labeling of GMO foods.

The L.A. Times' Taste food festival takes place this weekend -- five events over three days including Field to Fork, Cocktail Confidential, Flavors of L.A., Dinner & Drinks and Labor Day Picnic. Already sold out is Flavors of L.A., co-hosted by Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold and Evan Kleiman of KCRW's "Good Food. "  Tickets, which include unlimited food and drink tastings, are currently $65 but will go up to $75 on Saturday. So act fast to get tickets for Field to Fork on Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. hosted by Times Food Editor Russ Parsons and Fig chef Roy Garcia; Cocktail Confidential on Saturday 8 to 11 p.m. hosted by Times staff writer Jessica Gelt and Julian Cox; Dinner & Drinks on Sunday 8 to 11 p.m. hosted by Times Deputy Food Editor Betty Hallock and the Beer Chicks; and Labor Day Picnic on Monday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. hosted by Times Test Kitchen Manager Noelle Carter and Zoe Nathan, co-owner of Huckleberry.

EVENTS Haunted Hayride This year's all-new 25-minute hayride is based on the nightmarish journals of the Clifton twins, daughters of zookeeper Ferdinand Clifton. It makes trepidatious guests prey for 15-foot-tall mascots of death, 400-year-old children and terrifying clowns. Additional highlights include the spooky In Between Maze and the Human Menagerie slide show. Griffith Park Old Zoo, 4730 Crystal Springs Ave. 7 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday, 7-10:30 p.m. Sunday. $25-$50.

EVENTS Eat your heart out at the Taste, a large culinary festival hosted by the Los Angeles Times and Food & Wine magazine. Over the span of four days, food and drink from some of Southern California's best restaurants and wineries will be served, in conjunction with a series of panels, cooking demonstrations and discussions with a number of L.A.'s finest chefs. L.A. Various times and locations. Fri.-Mon. (213) 237-6552; http://www.latimes.com/taste.

LAS VEGAS Vegas Uncork'd When, where: May 6-9, various venues Highlights: The fourth annual culinary convention, presented by Bon Appétit magazine, features several of Vegas' top restaurants in more than 30 events that give attendees access to famous chefs, including Alain Ducasse, Bobby Flay, Michael Mina, Wolfgang Puck, Joël Robuchon and Guy Savoy. Cost: See website for details. A portion of proceeds benefits charities that help the hungry.

The TASTE OF THE WORLD, an international food festival this weekend at Anaheim Stadium, should satisfy even the quirkiest cravings. Info: (714) 675-6471.

EVENTS Taste the diverse offerings of Chinatown Summer Nights at local restaurants and at gourmet food trucks. KCRW DJs will spin on the neon-lighted plaza alongside video projections and Chinese cultural activities. Chinatown central and west plazas between Broadway and Yale St. and College to Bernard St. 5 p.m.-midnight Sat. http://www.chinatownsummernights.com.