Wine events coming up in Charlotte

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• The Wine Goddess wine classes start Tuesday, Feb. 5, at the Wine Shop Dilworth, 2442 Park Road. The goddess of the title is Leslie Franklin and the classes are designed to work for wine beginners as well as for more experienced wine fans. To make sure the classes are right for you, the first one, Feb. 5, is free. Classes are 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through March 12 and they cost $25 each or $20  if you pay for three in advance. Seating is limited; registration is required. Call 704-377-5373.
• The Wine Vault's Founders Hall wine tastings return Tuesday, Feb. 5, with a $25 tasting that covers 21 Big, Rich Reds at Aria. In addition, Aria will offer a three-course $30 menu and waive corkage fees for wines you buy at the tasting. Free valet parking on College Street. Call 704-548-9463 to sign up.

Got ideas to end hunger?

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If you're a student in the first through 12 grades and you live in the U.S. or Canada (but not Quebec), you can win a $2,500 savings bond and a three-day trip to New York from the Olive Garden.

All you have to do is write a winning essay of 50 to 250 words on how to end hunger in your community. Olive Garden also will give a $5,000 grant to support your initiative in your town.

The contest is the 17th annual Pasta Tales essay contest by Darden Restaurants, the owner of Olive Garden. Essays are judged on creativity, adherence to theme, organization, grammar, punctuation and spelling by the Quill and Scroll Society of the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Iowa. Winners are picked by Olive Garden.

Entries must be postmarked by March 22 and sent to Pasta Tales, PMB 2000, 6278 N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308-1916. Get the full rules and entry form at www.olivegarden.com.

Maker's Mark cuts the alcohol level in its bourbon

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I took a week off from food world last week and look what happened: Maker's Mark, maker of the bourbon with the red wax top, has announced an Impending Bourbon Shortage:

"Demand for our bourbon is exceeding our ability to make it, which means we’re running very low on supply." That's from a letter to Maker's Mark "ambassadors," people who sign up on the distillery website to receive information and occasional offers like ice cube trays shaped like bottles of Maker's Mark. (Yes, after touring distilleries last year to work on a book on bourbon, a member of my family is on the Ambassador list.)

The letter, from Chief Operating Officer Rob Samuels and Chair Emeritus Bill Samuels Jr., goes on to announce that Maker's Mark will decrease the alcohol by volume of its product by 3%.

From the letter: "This will enable us to maintain the same taste profile and increase our limited supply so there is enough Maker’s Mark to go around, while we continue to expand the distillery and increase our production capacity. We have both tasted it extensively, and it’s completely consistent with the taste profile our founder/dad/grandfather, Bill Samuels, Sr., created nearly 60 years ago.  We’ve also done extensive testing with Maker’s Mark drinkers, and they couldn’t tell a difference."

This, of course, raises a few questions:

Will Maker's Mark lower the price by 3% to reflect the lower volume of alcohol?

Will the alcohol return to its previous level when the distillery is expanded?

And: In a world in which 1-quart mayonnaise jars no longer hold a quart and 1-pound jars are 12 ounces, is nothing sacred?

CPCC's bakery wants to feed you

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Aspire Bakery & Bistro, the student-supported business at Central Piedmont Community College's Harris Campus, will hold an open house from 4-7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 for the public, faculty, staff, alumni and students (is there anyone that list doesn't cover?).

The idea behind Aspire is that baking and pastry students will sell food they've made including soups, salads, sandwiches, baked goods, desserts and handmade chocolates. Proceeds benefit student  activities, scholarships and extracurricular activities. The bistro also gives students business training, with requirements that they serve one week as an employee and one week as a manager.

Aspire's regular hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Fridays during the fall and spring semesters. The Harris Campus is at 3210 CPCC Harris Campus Drive, near Morris Field Drive and Billy Graham Parkway. Details: http://www.cpcc.edu/restaurants/aspire

Have a minute to think about taste?

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OK, it's actually 12 minutes. But a worthwhile 12 minutes, I think.

With all the TedX talks going on around the country at the moment, including Charlotte's Ted last week, I stumbled across a video from last year's TedX in New York. The speaker is Mitchell Davis, the vice president of the James Beard Foundation and someone I have the pleasure of working with every year on the Beard Leadership Awards.

The Leadership Awards are given at a two-day event that Mitchell puts together, a sort of think-inar on the latest research on the world's food policies.

Mitchell also is Dr. Mitchell Davis, who teaches food writing at NYU. He's one of those very smart people who introduces me to new ideas and points of view. So when Dr. Davis takes the stage to talk about the very basic concept of taste and how that should shape our food supply, it's worth considering.

See if you agree:

India's Restaurant

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It's been a while since we had India's food, so delicious...Of course, I really go there for their papadum, so good.  Better than any taco shell you've ever tasted.Our usual dishes: Keema Curry with lamb... goes great with rice.Saag Paneer: spinach with cubed cheese, the cheese was a bit over empowering a bit.Cauliflower and potato marsala.
I always love to go there because the service is always top notch.  I love the hot towel, the drinks poured as soon as you sit down.  Food is always fast and good.  Don't be discouraged by the parking, there's more in the back of the building.
India's 5704 Richmond Ave  Houston, TX 77057
(713) 266-0131http://www.indiasrestauranthouston.com/

Maggiano's

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My friend and I decided that it's long over due for a meet up and we both were craving pasta, so to Maggiano's we go!I always liked the decor in the place, make you feel like you're in a steak house but casual and good food.We started with Fried Mozzarella, it's huge not as I had in mind, I was thinking mozzarella stick but the marinara sauce is addictive.I ordered the Lobster pasta, as you can see the portion is huge, I ended up taking most of that home.
A note about their gluten free offering.  I mentioned to the server that I'm interested in having gluten free dishes, he immediately go to the back and get the chef to come an speak with me.  Basically, he asked me what I had in mind for selection and let me know if it can be done or not.  That was a nice touch.
Their pasta is with corn pasta, so that's why it's gluten free.  While it's hot, I cannot tell the difference and the sauce is superb.  They also have a $12.95 pasta menu.  You pick one while you're eating there, and another one to take home.  And aside from Lasagna that they cannot make gluten free, all the other pasta does have a GF version.  I will say that the take home pasta, you can definitely tell it's very corn-y.  But like I said, eat them hot!
Maggiano's2019 Post Oak BlvdHouston , TX 77056-4401713-961-2700they do curb side take outhttp://www.maggianos.com/