Want to converse and imbibe with like-minded, green-thinking people?
A new group, Green Drinks, gathers each month for drinks (not necessarily green) and conversation about the environment. The next gathering is Thursday, 5-7 p.m., at Aerie at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa. Chef Ted Cizma will talk about what the resort's restaurants are doing to minimize their impact on the environment.
Green Drinks Traverse City has a Facebook page and a Web site linked off the international group's Web site. Go to www.greendrinks.org or e-mail Jon Prins at the Grand Traverse Conservation District, jprins@gtcd.org.
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A chili cookoff in Alden will benefit Antrim County Pets.
The cookoff, scheduled for 4-7 p.m. Sunday, will be held at the Helena Township Hall. Restaurants and chefs from around Antrim County have donated chili for the fundraiser. Admission of $8, $4 for children 5-12 years old, buys all-you-can-eat dinner with beverage and dessert. There will also be a bake sale and silent auction.
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Bowers Harbor Inn Chef Paul Olson won the Best Taste award at the Oct. 12 March of Dimes auction.
The award, one of three given out during the seventh annual event, is the second time Olson has won. The event raised $2,000 for the March of Dimes.
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Octoberfest at the Grand Traverse Yacht Club is Saturday. The party, which begins at noon and continue all day, will showcase the newly rebuilt club. There will be an all-you-can-eat German buffet, local beer specials and a local German band.
The food costs $10 and $5 for kids under 12 but there is no cover charge for the event. The club is on M-22, just north of Apache Trout Grill. For more information, go to www.gtyc.org or call 946-9779.
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TraVino is hosting a Halloween party Oct. 30 with "spooky specials" and a costume contest scheduled for 7:30 p.m. All ages are welcome, but the "target audience" is 25-35 years old. There will be goody bags and a drawing for a gift certificate.
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Bowers Harbor Inn is hosting dinner with its resident ghost, Genevieve, Oct. 30.
Tickets are $60 per person and seating is limited. The evening starts with a reception at 6:30 p.m. There will be a three-course dinner, dessert and wine pairings. Bowers Harbor Inn is 13512 Peninsula Drive. Call 223-4222.
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More than 120 people tasted and judged soup at Benzie County's Fall Festival and Hungry Tummy Restaurant won first place for its Nacho Cheese Chowder. Second place went to the Benzie Council on Aging for its Grilled Chicken and Portabella soup; and third place went to The Manitou for its Smoky Great Lakes Chowder.
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More than 20 downtown restaurants will be offering discounts for "350 Day" Saturday. The discounts coincide with local events urging action at the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen in December. The Traverse City event is organized by TC-350 -- the number stands for the parts per million of carbon dioxide that scientists say we must return to to avoid problems. Restaurants include Right Brain Brewery, House of Doggs, Trattoria Stella and more. For more information, go to www.tc350.org.
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Cafe Crema, at the corner of Front and Park in Traverse City, will host a free coffee cupping featuring Higher Grounds Coffee Roasting Co. Tuesday, from 5 to 6 p.m. For more information, call 360-3227.
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If you have food news or questions, send them to Cook's Corner, Traverse City Record-Eagle, P.O. Box 632, Traverse City, MI 49685; call (231) 933-1511 or (800) 968-8273; or e-mail jtaylor@record-eagle.com.
