Gourmet for All

In years past, The Gourmet Institute -- Gourmet magazine's annual autumn weekend of food and wine demonstrations, seminars, tastings, and dinners -- may have been out of reach to food lovers who could not afford the big $1,400 price tag. But now, even epicurean plebes without deep pockets will have a chance to join in the fun.

For the first time, the weekend will no longer be available only as a package deal. Individual events are moving beyond the Conde Nast headquarters to a series of locations around New York City, and tickets for each event will be available "a la carte." Events throughout the weekend range from $20 to $300.

The 2009 event will also launch a "Gourmet Marketplace" featuring "local fare, artisanal tastings, wine & spirits pourings, celebrity chef book signings." Admission will be $20.

Did Gourmet make the change because the usually high-priced package was unsustainable in a recession? Not according to the event's publicists.

Jessica Aptman of the Susan Magrino agency told me via email that the decision to restructure the event was made more than a year ago: "Once they took the weekend of events outside the Conde Nast building and sprinkled it around NYC, it only made sense to offer the courses a la carte. Logic really dictated this change." However, she noted that "it is a nice byproduct to be able to make this event as accessible as possible during these tough times."

The Gourmet Institute will take place from October 23 to 25. More information at gourmetinstitute.com.

Food on Film, Big Apple Barbecue, and Craig Claiborne

FEATURED EVENT NYC Food Film Festival
Screenings for the third annual NYC Food Film Festival will take at three locations this year -- Astor Center and Water Taxi Beach will take place at three venues this year: Astor Center and Water Taxi Beach locations in Long Island City and South Street Seaport. The festival will feature everything from gastronomic feature films (Big Night) to documentaries about food producers like Joe York's Buttermilk: It Can Help, a profile of Tennessee dairy farmer and buttermilk evangelist Earl Cruze. The festival kicks off with an opening night gala at Astor Center on June 13 and continues through June 19 (details).

Gender and Cooking, Herring Happenings, and a Crab Boil

FEATURED EVENT Gender Confusion in the Kitchen
On Monday, June 8, Astor Center (399 Lafayette Sreet, New York) will present a unique event exploring whether men and women cook food differently. A panel of chefs, including Grant Achatz of Chicago's Alinea restaurant, will navigate their way through a 5 course, blind tasting and try to guess the gender of the chef behind each plate. Each course will consist of a dish prepared by a man and one prepared by a woman, starting with cocktails and ending with desserts. The audience will enjoy a debate on the role of gender and food, as well as cocktails, light snacks, and wine (details).

Pressure Cooker, Bad Boys, Restaurant Design, and Cheap Cheese

FEATURED EVENT "Pressure Cooker"
This new documentary film, showing from May 27 through June 4 at The IFC Center (323 Sixth Avenue), follows three seniors at Philadelphia’s Frankford High School as they train to become chefs under the stern tutelage of Wilma Stephenson, "a legend in the school system" for her "blunt boot-camp method of teaching Culinary Arts." The directors of the film will be on hand for a number of the film's screenings, and they will be joined by  Stephenson and Chef Eric Ripert for a Q&A on Saturday, May 30th (details).

AGENDA AFIELD Bourdain and Batali
Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali, alleged "bad boys of cuisine," will discuss the world of restaurants, chefs, and cooking at Seattle's Paramount Theatre on Saturday, May 30th (details).

TV Cooking, DBGB, and Offbeat Cheeses

FEATURED EVENT Watching What We Eat
How television cooking shows have "both reflected and shaped significant changes in American culture" will be the subject of a discussion presented by the Culinary Historians of New York. Researcher and librarian Kathleen Collins, author of the new book Watching What We Eat: The Evolution of Television Cooking Shows, will lead the audience through the evolution of TV cooking programs from the 1940s to contemporary shows.The event will take place on Wednesday, May 20, at Astor Center (details).

All About Appetizing, Queens Cuisine, and Tribeca Eats

FEATURED EVENT: A Taste of Appetizing
On Wednesday, May 13, Mark Federman of the venerable appetizing store Russ & Daughters will share stories and noshes at an event at Astor Center. Learn about the culinary mecca and taste the shop's famous smoked fish and other specialties (details).

Ramp Hunt, a Whisky Extravaganza, and Indian Cooking

FEATURED EVENT

Ramp Hunt
On Saturday, May 9, the proprieters of Paisley Farm, a 25-acre organic farm in Tivoli, New York, will lead guests on a ramp foraging expedition. After meeting at the farm in the morning for coffee and danishes, you will be taken to a "a secret ramp location," where expert forager Mike Kokas will give a brief tutorial on ramp habitat, followed by a morning of gathering ramps. Afterwards, a tutorial on cooking ramps will take place back at the farm, followed by an outdoor lunch (details).

Agenda: Hot Dog Hootenanny, Brooklyn Food, and Cookbook Publishing

This post is Anna's last as our Events Editor. She's moving on to spend more time on her own web endeavor, Party Remedies. She's done an excellent job here and will be sorely missed. We wish her the very best.

FEATURED EVENT: The 2009 Hot Dog Hootenanny
Serious Eats comes to Astor Center on Sunday, May 3rd, to talk about and celebrate all things hot dog, from sophisticated, high-end wieners to low end dirty water dogs. Guests will sample regional hot dog favorites as well as dogs from participating vendors. The tasting will be followed by a lecture and discussion on the history of the food. Finally, guests are encouraged to submit a haiku with the opportunity of having the poem selected and published on Serious Eats the following day (details).

Cherry Blossom Festival, Harvest Time, and Beans and Brews

FEATURED EVENT

Cherry Blossom Festival
EN Brasserie (435 Hudson Street) is hosting its annual Sakura Festival. Sakura, the cherry blossom, is the national flower of Japan, and its annual bloom season is a cause for celebration throughout the country and the world. To replicate an evening of dining under pink cherry blossoms in Japan, the restaurant will be decorated in with the blooming flowers. As part of the experience, a special Sakura Kaiseki menu will highlight seasonal Japanese delicacies, incorporating the delicate blossoms within the dishes. The festival will take place from Sunday, April 26th through May 9th (details).

Reichl on Reichl, Coffee and Tea, and Nourishment for Mother and Baby

FEATURED EVENT

Meals, Memoirs, and My Mother 
The 92nd Street Y (Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street) will be hosting Ruth Reichl in conversation with Dr. Gail Saltz. The highly acclaimed author, restaurant critic, and Gourmet editor-in-chief will be discussing her life, writing career, and new memoir, Not Becoming My Mother. The event will take place in the Kaufman Concert Hall on Monday, April 20th, at 8:00 p.m. Tickets: $27/person. (212.415.5500)