And speaking of class, come June 8, Moonshine University, the educational division of Distilled Spirits Epicenter (801 S. 8th St.) is offering a class teaching students about the spirits and distilleries of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail—without leaving Louisville.

Be it evaluating the nuances of one of Jim Beam’s bourbons or learning the history of the red wax seals on the bottles of Maker’s Mark, participants will be entertained and educated on bourbon knowledge, and get the cook’s tour of Moonshine U.’s working distillery.

Expect to learn plenty about the KBT’s members, which include: Four Roses, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Town Branch, Wild Turkey, Woodford Reserve and Evan Williams.

He’s another reason why this is kinda special: This knowledge helps you become an ersatz bourbon ambassador to relatives, friends and business associates who visit Kentucky and wonder what to do when they get here.

In other words, you can’t help promote the Kentucky Bourbon Trail—now the state’s most popular destination for out-of-state-tourists—if you don’t know what it involves.

Plus, you get to drink bourbon while you’re learning about all this cool stuff.

Interested? The class runs from 3-5 p.m. and costs $29 per person. To register, call (502) 301-8126 or visit www.moonshineuniversity.com.

From the team that brought you Wiltshire Pantry (one of the top rated catering companies in the state) and Wiltshire on Market (a solid favorite in NuLu’s hot restaurant row) adds another venue that is sure to please.  The appropriately named Wiltshire Pantry Bakery and Café is located at what was most recently Joe Davola’s (901 Barret Avenue), just down the road from the former Lynn’s Paradise Café.

The architect behind all things “Wiltshire”, Susan Hershburg, explained it best in an earlier email to us —

“Building upon the overwhelming success of our Douglas loop farmers market booth, we are launching a retail bakery and cafe featuring the wonderful creations of our lead baker Deanna Rushing.”

“We will be offering an extensive selection of breakfast pastries, artisan breads and brioche as well as light breakfast and lunch fare. We will concentrate on “grab and go” menu items as seating will be very limited. Our catering team, under executive Chef Casey Broussard, will be preparing a selection of soups, salads and sandwiches as well as breakfast entrees.”

Here is a sampling of their sandwich menu:

Baguette: “Italian Sub” – House Made Mortadella, La Quercia Speck, Creminelli Soppresatta, Aged Provolone, Pepperoncini, Shaved Red Onion, Aioli, Red Wine Vinaigrette $7

Focaccia: Marinated Roast Beef Cooked Medium Rare, Horseradish Aioli, Extra Sharp Cheddar, Arugula, Grilled Red Onion Jam $8

Brioche: Grilled All Natural Chicken Salad – Celery, Parsley, Lemon Aioli, Leaf Lettuce $8

Rye: Wiltshire Rueben – House Cured Smoked Stone Cross Farms Brisket, Kraut, Spicy Brown Mustard, Emmentaler Cheese, Smoked Tomato Aioli $8

Wheat: Cucumber, Sprouts and Avocado with Oven Roasted Tomato Hummus $7

Soup and ½ Sandwich is $8

Soup and ½ Salad is $8

½ Sandwich and side Salad $7.50

F&D has followed baker Deanna Rushing for some time. Her days at the Douglas Loop Farmers Market made it a “must stop” every Saturday… now we don’t have to wait until Saturdays to pick up her tasty baked goods.

Details:

Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 8am – 3pm

Address: 901 Barret Avenue, Louisville, KY. (http://bit.ly/YHK6tC)

For more info visit www.wiltshirepantry.com/bakery-and-cafe or their Facebook page —www.facebook.com/WiltshirePantryBakeryAndCafe

The De La Torre’s (1606 Bardstown Rd.) Raventos wine dinner, set for Wednesday, May 22, at 7 p.m., will feature Arnau Roca, who is coming from Barcelona as special guest.

As a representative of the Raventos winery, he will speak about winemakers who first planted grapes in 1497.

No, that’s not 1974 mistyped, that date means the Raventos family has been planting grapes for 19 generations. That also makes the family the only true grower of cava.

The family’s philosophy is completely terroir driven in order to produce wines that fully express the geography, geology and climate of their unique, historic lands. All wines at Raventos are sourced entirely from organically and sustainably farmed estate-grown fruit.

Nice.

Equally nice is Miguel de la Torre will be preparing that evening’s menu. (If you’ve never had is food, you owe it to yourself to dine at the table of Louisville’s only Spanish chef.) It’s not often you get to see Spanish chef and a Spanish winegrower under the same roof and working on the same dinner in Louisville.

• First course: brochette of rabbit with rosemary and cherry tomato, paired with Raventos “De Nit” Rose Cava
• Second course:  sea scallops in salsa de cava, paired with Raventos “L’Hereu” Reserva Brut Cava
• Third course: soft shell crab slider with ali-oli, paired with Raventos “De la Finca” Brut Gran Reserva Cava
• Fourth course: wild mushrooms sautéed with Serrano ham and Manchego, paired with Raventos Perfum de vi Blanc
• Fifth course: clams in salsa verde, paired with Raventos Silencis

Price is $65 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and you can call to make reservations at 502-456-4955.

The Festival is sponsored by the ever-generous and always beer-minded folks at ValuMarket, whose growler offerings are always good. At a similar event in December, 1,030 people came to drink about 150 different beers.

Heaven knows what sort of crowd will be on hand with warm weather to promote walking around!

John Bizzell, store manager and craft beer buyer at ValuMarket, said admission to the fest is $5 (the first 500 in get a branded festival pint glass) and that beer tickets will be sold for $1 for every pour (2 to 3 ounces each).

If you really want to belly up, you can snag an unlimited pours ticket for $30, which Bizzell said nearly 20 percent of attendees bought in December.

Who knows? Maybe they were trying to insulate themselves from the cold.

The line-up of beers is nothing short of impressive. Click here to take a gander at what you can taste if you go.

Since you should never drink alcohol on an empty stomach—seems we Americans are the only ones in the world who think that’s wise—know that Tony Boombozz Pizza will be sold at the fest, and that ValuMarket will be grilling some grub for sale.

And since you’re in the neighborhood, venture out and enjoy Bardstown Bound. The crowd should be a doozy that night.

Powell had recently replaced Patrick McCandless as the executive chef at the one-year-old St. Charles, but apparently had been in talks with Silver Dollar operators for some time about the move.

Sources at the St. Charles Exchange said they are busily interviewing replacements for Powell.

In his new role, Powell will oversee the kitchen at the Silver Dollar and allow current executive chef Jonathan Schwartz, to focus fully on developing the menu for El Camino, located in what was formerly Avalon on Bardstown Road.

Schwartz is charged with developing a Mexican street food menu and we’ve that into the concepts Tiki bar theme.

El Camino also is owned by Silver Dollar partners Sean and Vanessa Cantley and operating partner Larry Rice.

Originally, when the partners bought the Avalon building, they had hoped to open the new restaurant by late spring of 2013. But as they began working in the facility they decided instead to all but gut the structure to ensure their vision was fully realized. When finished—the recent projected date is August—it will include a Mexican bakery on premise.

* Speaking of chefs on the move, Andy Meyers, chef at The Anchorage Café until February, reportedly worked in the kitchen at 610 Magnolia over Derby weekend.

Chef-owner Edward Lee and chef de cuisine Nick Sullivan were headed to New York that weekend for The James Beard Foundation Awards. (The occasion marked third time in Lee’s career he was nominated for Best Chef Southeast. Unfortunately, he did not win.)

Since leaving the Anchorage Café, Meyers worked briefly at the Holy Grale and on some independent projects. We will let you know as soon as we hear where he lands.

* Michael Hungerford’s departure as chef at Coals Artisan Pizza a month ago has not seen him resurface in the city, nor has his post in front of that blazing oven been filled—at least as far as we  know. Talented chef, great position open.

Themed “We Are Family,” the event will feature restaurants serving cocktails, appetizers and desserts to what will likely be a large crowd.

If you missed last year’s Speakeasy themed event, you missed roaring good time that included a few hundred local folks and restaurant employees mixing it up and enjoying their Sunday off.

All for a good cause, though, of course. The mission of APRON is to provide temporary, limited financial relief to Metro Louisville food and beverage workers at independently owned restaurants and who, by no fault of their own, are facing financial distress due to illness, injury or other issues.

For those not in the industry, trust us, it’s a significant number of people who need routine help, making APRON a truly worthy cause.

All food and drink is donated by participating restaurants, and the funds raised at this annual event go directly to APRON, which reviews the needs of aid applicants and distributes those funds.

Back to this year’s event: Expect a DJ playing disco-inspired music, a silent auction consisting of travel, shopping, dining and spirit products and, well, a heck of a lot of fun. And did we mention incredible food and drink?

The evening is open to the public and it runs from 4-7 p.m. Location is The Ice House, a gorgeous event space at 226 East Washington St.

Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door. Suffice it to say, for what you’ll get and how much fun you’ll have, that’s a heck of way to make a donation! Click here to register.

Last year’s event drew 1,200 bacon lovers, requiring the switch to a larger venue.

The May 18 event is, as you can imagine, all about bacon—and pork in general—and the myriad ways you can cook it and, well, never tire of it.

Several restaurants will cook pork-centered dishes and compete for the coveted Bacon King award, voted on guests and a celebrity judge. Those restaurants include Decca, NABC Bank Street Brewery, Proof on Main, Hammerheads, Silver Dollar, Rye, Eiderdown and The Seafood Connection.

Last year, the chef duo from Hammerheads, long regarded among the city’s princes of pork cookery, won the title.

Expect plenty of beverages from Four Roses Bourbon, Cumberland Brews, and Bluegrass Brewing Co., music by Johnny Berry & The Outliers, and a silent auction as well.

Sure, it’s dubbed a ball, but you needn’t consider wearing a gown made of bacon—though Lady Gaga might think it’s cool—or even tucking a few carefully aligned strips of the stuff into your tux jacket in place of your kerchief—which Homer Simpson would admire.

It’s a casual night out which runs from 7-11 p.m. and costs $30 for LVAA members (who, if they buy pairs for $50 each) or $40 for non-members (or $70 for pair). Click here to get tickets.

It’s never too late to join LVAA, so click here if that interests you.

Proceeds from this night of nitrates includes LVAA programs such as JCPS Art Supply Fund, Artebella, Children’s Fine Art Classes and OPEN DOORS.

Located at 129 N. Second Street (directly across from the KFC Yum! Center, which will make it a prime spot for pre- and post-game grub), operating hours are 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Richard Ruth, formerly of The St. Charles Exchange, is the operating partner and general manager. He’s cobbled together an excellent crew of servers and bartenders, and hired Jason Scot Pierce and Richard Schaefer to oversee the kitchen.

The place was getting rave reviews last week from patrons invited to its soft-opening events. We were among that lucky hoard, and we wolfed down terrific burgers, fries and milkshakes—ours were alcoholic, which, if you’re an adult, is the way to go—from a limited but still diverse menu. (For those not into beef, there’s a tuna burger and a veggie burger, as well as some snappy salads.) Unfortunately, the menu isn’t yet online.

Like the food menu, the bar offerings are smartly limited but well done: six draft and 13 bottled beers; four wine choices; a good range of midlevel and premium spirits and about a half dozen rotating barrel-aged cocktails. And given Ruth’s history at St. Charles, you can imagine the drinks are good.

Eager to lure more customers downtown, Sidebar is working to get customer parking validated at nearby lots, hosting live Bluegrass music on select nights, and promoting a deal with Yellow Cab that allows Sidebar patrons to get a flat-rate ride home to neighborhoods within the Watterson Expressway. All smart moves.

So now it’s your turn: Make plans to check out downtown Louisville’s newest restaurant. You’ll thank us for it. (Call 384-1600 for more information.)

Sponsored by the Louisville Independent Business Alliance (LIBA), the event has grown to include more than 150 booths showcasing goods and services from a variety of local businesses, musicians, artists and craftspeople, community organizations and farmers.

Running from 2-8 p.m. at the Louisville Water Tower at 3005 River Road (where Zorn Ave. ends), the fair includes a cooking competition between Milkwood chef Kevin Ashworth and RYE on Market chef de cuisine Joe Banet, a craft beer tent featuring 10 local brewers, as well as a raffle area, farmers market, arts and crafts and an H2O Kids Zone. Expect live entertainment from Gideon’s Rifle, Thirty Spokes and Nerves Junior.

Admission to the fair is free though parking is $5 per vehicle.

According to a news release, last year’s event drew more 6,000 attendees, and LIBA organizers expect a larger turnout this year.

The mission of the Buy Local Fair is to provide a venue that encourages cooperation between two emergent local economies: local farm-fresh food and locally produced arts and crafts.

So get out and get up close and personal with your entrepreneurial neighbors who are working hard to grow their businesses!

Well, according to at least one company, there’s plenty of room in Kentuckians’ livers for more options.

We got wind last week that Lexington Brewing and Distilling, parent company of Kentucky Ale and Town Branch Distillery, has some interesting adult beverages in the works.

Up for release in 2013 are Labadee Gold and Labadee Dark (both “rhums,” as the company likes to spell it) coming from the distillery end of the business.

Proving himself one of the state’s shrewdest businessmen, founder, president and CEO, Pearse Lyons knows that rum—not bourbon, not vodka, not gin—is far and away the most popular spirit in the country, and he knows that, for the most part, Americans are drinking crummy rum.

Also the founder and CEO of Alltech, a $750 million company producing antibiotic-free and hormone free cattle feed in 128 countries, the world knows Lyons is no rum dummy. Clearly he’s seizing the opportunity here to roll out premium rums, er, um rhums to serve a market that largely doesn’t know how good fermented sugar cane molasses really tastes—without cola!

We’re not exactly going out on a limb in saying this, but we predict that in five years, you could well see the love given good bourbon also being lavished on good rum as the premium distilled spirits industry continues its boom cycle.

Also at Kentucky Ale … brewers there and at BBC Bottling in Louisville have begun discussing how to partner on a beer which, according to InsiderLouisville.com, is loosely dubbed, “I-64 Corridor Collaboration: LBDC-BBC Limited Edition Collaboration Brew.”

While collaborations between breweries are nothing new, we think it’s something to watch when one state’s two largest brewers get in on the action.

Hypothesizing aside, beer lovers will be the beneficiaries are yet another good Kentucky-made beer hits the market … someday.