DATEBOOK

TODAY

Wine Dinner: Join wine consultant Peter Kerr for a wine and appetizer reception and a four-course dinner featuring the wines of Wildhurst Vineyards, Lake County, Calif. Dinner includes sea bass, lamb in cashew sauce with vegetable rice, tandoori-style filet of beef with a Cabernet reduction and a selection of cheeses. Reception, 7 p.m.; dinner, 7:30 p.m. Akbar, 2627 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. Reservations, (310) 586-7469. $69.

FRIDAY

Vegetarian Pizza: Make pizza, learn about ideal baking conditions and explore different styles of doughs, yeasts and shapes in this class. Pizzas include grilled pizza with basil pesto; deep dish pizza with fontina, thyme, onions and zucchini; and spinach and ricotta calzone. 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. The New School of Cooking, 8690 Washington Blvd., Culver City. To register, call (310) 842-9702. $68.

SATURDAY

Chicken and Seafood: Learn to make one-pot shrimp, sausages and rice; sake-steamed salmon and wasabi sauce; mustard chicken with fennel and croutons and more. 10:30 a.m. The Tasting Spoon, 4350 Via Dolce, No. 307, Marina del Rey. To register, call Sue Young at (310) 306-8851. $40.

Healthy Foods: Cal State Northridge Extension offers “Choosing Foods for Health, Healing and Weight Loss.” Learn how to break unhealthy eating cycles, the healing properties in particular foods and what foods help prevent heart and digestive problems. Today and Sept. 28, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. CSUN campus, 18111 Nordhoff St., Business Building room 1206, Northridge. To register, call (818) 677-2786 (ticket number 00527). $69.

Cigar and Wine Dinner: Davidoff cigars and Robert Mondavi wines are part of the evening, along with a menu of carpaccio of beef with marinated artichokes, capers and whole-grain mustard; seared sea scallops, baby lettuce and caviar vinaigrette; roasted veal tenderloin, lobster risotto, champagne sauce and tender pea sprouts; and frozen Grand Marnier souffle. 7 p.m. The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa, 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena. To register, call (626) 585-6434. $125.

SUNDAY

Gourmet Festival: The Crown Guild’s 28th Annual Gourmet Festival of Fall offers an afternoon of food and wine tasting at the historic Blacker House in Pasadena. Participating restaurants include All India Cafe, Cafe Santorini, de Croupet’s Cakes and Il Fornaio. The event benefits AbilityFirst’s Lawrence L. Frank Center and its services for San Gabriel Valley children and adults with disabilities. 3-7 p.m. The Blacker House, 1177 Hillcrest Ave., Pasadena. For tickets, call AbilityFirst’s Lawrence L. Frank Center at (626) 449-5661, Ext. 106. $65.

Taste of Santa Monica: More than 20 local restaurants offer tasting samples at this event, which also includes cooking demonstrations by local chefs, musical entertainment and a carnival booth to benefit Westside Food Bank. 1-5 p.m. Santa Monica Pier Carousel, Santa Monica. Adults, $30; students, $20; children younger than 12, $10. For ticket information, call (310) 393-9825, Ext. 10.

TUESDAY

Seasonal Salads: Chef Louise Fiszer demonstrates seasonal main dish salads including Malaysian chicken salad with mango, noodles and lemongrass; salad Nicoise with smoked trout; and warm portabello mushroom, sweet corn and goat cheese salad. 6:30 p.m. Sur La Table, 301 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. Reservations, (310) 395-0390. $50.