Today

Thursday Night Rush Hour Relief at the Wine Bar. 5-7 p.m. Cranbrook Whole Foods, 990 W. Eisenhower Parkway, Ann Arbor. An exploration of wine, cheese and appetizers. This week's topic: Italian Red Wines. $17.

The Monthly Slurps. 5-7 p.m. Spotted Dog Winery, 108 E. Michigan Ave., Saline. Stop in for an after-hours wine and food event. Price: TBD. www.spotteddogwinery.com.

(un)Corked -- Summer in a Bottle -- Sauvignon Blanc. 7:30-8:30 p.m. Alley Bar, 112 W. Liberty, Ann Arbor. June is coming and no grape does better to help us celebrate than the sauvignon blanc. One of the six original noble grapes and perhaps one of the parents of the cabernet sauvignon this grape can quench any thirst. Its crispness and pungency are as attractive to some as it can be aggressive to others. $10. www.producestation.com.

Friday

Soft-Shell Crabs 101. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Ann Arbor Cooks, 5060 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor. Unlock the mystery of this perennial summertime favorite: soft-shell crabs. Menu includes classic soft-shelled crab sandwich with basil-pesto dressing; tempura soft-shelled crabs; cornmeal-crusted soft-shelled crabs; corn salad; jicama slaw and more. $65. 734-645-1030.

Saturday

Learn to Make Fresh Mozzarella. Noon-2:30 p.m. Zingerman's Creamery, 3723 Plaza Drive, Ann Arbor. Learn how to stretch your own from-scratch fresh mozzarella at home. $50 (or $45 if paid in advance). Reservations required at 734-929-0500.

Brews Crews Homebrew Competition Awards. 9 a.m. Corner Brewery, 720 Norris St., Ypsilanti. A Homebrew competition co-sponsored by Arbor Brewing Company and the Ann Arbor Brewer's Guild. Stop in to sample the finest homebrew creations and watch enthusiasts compete for the coveted Best of Show honors. Free. www.arborbrewing.com.

Velvet Hammer Day. Noon. Corner Brewery, 720 Norris St., Ypsilanti. The first Saturday in June celebrate the Corner Brewery's anniversary with a one-day-only tapping of the Velvet Hammer. Velvet Hammer is an old ale aged for six months in a gueuze-inoculated oak barrel and then corked in a 750 and bottle-conditioned for a minimum of two months. www.arborbrewing.com.

Puff the Magic Pastry. 1-5 p.m. Zingerman's Bakehouse, 3711 Plaza Drive, Ann Arbor. Learn how to make your own puff pastry dough and several ways to use it - palmiers, shells for fruit tarts or savory fillings, and napoleons. $125. www.bakewithzing.com.

Sunday

Country Style Breakfast. 8:30-11 a.m. St. Mary's Catholic Parish, 10601 Dexter Pinckney Road, Pinckney. Proceeds are to help support the youth program. Menu includes: fried or scrambled eggs, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, French toast, pancakes, quiche, ham, pork sausage, and waffle station. Freewill donation suggested. For more information, call Heather at 734-878-3161.

Taste of Ann Arbor. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Downtown Ann Arbor. This annual community event features local restaurants offering visitors bite size, and some not so bite size, tastes of what they do best. Takes place on Main Street, with the street closed. Tickets for food tastes can be purchased at the event for 50 cents each.

Preserving Traditions: Learn to Can Strawberry Jam. 2 p.m. Pittsfield Grange, 3337 Ann Arbor-Saline Road, Ann Arbor. We'll discuss the basics of what foods may be canned, and how. Bring about two dry quarts of ripe strawberries and a pint-sized canning jar with band and a new lid. Free to Grange members, $5 for non-members. RSVP at www.eventbrite.com/org/814998331.

Tours of the Creamery. 2 p.m. Zingerman's Creamery, 3723 Plaza Drive, Ann Arbor. Cheesemaker and managing partner John Loomis gives the inside scoop on how they make artisan cheeses and old-fashioned gelato (that’s Italian ice cream). $5. 734-929-0500.

Monday

Seafood on the Grill. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Ann Arbor Cooks, 5060 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor. Menu includes grilled squid salad with papaya, green onion and peanuts; grilled shrimp cocktail with fresh tomato-horseradish dipping sauce; clams in cartoccio; grilled octopus salad and grilled whole branzino. This class is offered through Washtenaw Community College, but held at Ann Arbor Cooks. $75. 734-645-1030.

Milan Senior Nutrition Program. 11:45 a.m. Milan Senior & Community Activity Center, 45 Neckel Court, Milan. A nutritionally balanced meal offered on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Suggested donation of $2.50 for anyone who is 60 years or older and a fee of $5 for anyone under the age of 60. 48-hour advance reservations. Call or stop by the office. 734-439-1549.

Tuesday

Hurray for Challah. 5:30-9:30 p.m. Zingerman's Bakehouse, 3711 Plaza Drive, Ann Arbor. In this class guests will bake their own rich and soft challah bread. $100. www.bakewithzing.com.

Sacred Foods: Robust Digestive Health with Frances Farmer. 7-8:30 p.m. Crazy Wisdom Bookstore and Tea Room, 114 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. Learn how the digestive system functions and the connections between digestive health and auto-immune function, allergies, asthma, mental disorders and more. Free. Call Caitlin Joseph at 994-4589, email outreach@peoplesfood.coop or visit www.peoplesfood.coop.

Lunch is Served. Noon-1 p.m. Turner Senior Resource Center, 2401 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor. Repeats every Tuesday and Friday. Reservations are required with two days prior notice. Suggested donation for those over 60 years of age is $2.50, for all others, $5. Call 734-998-9353 for reservations.

Gnocchi with Francesca Giaraffa. 6:30 p.m. Ann Arbor Whole Foods, 3135 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor. Learn the authentic way to make gnocchi and discover how good it tastes with covered with a White Cream and Truffle oil sauce. Next learn to properly clean and stuff an artichoke and finish with Panna Cotta for desert. $39. Pre-registration required through Ann Arbor Community Education Recreation, at 734-994-2300 ext, 53203 or www.aareced.com.

Wednesday

Wednesday Wine Tasting. 6:30 p.m. Paesano's Italian Restaurant , 3411 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor. Sample five up and coming wines from Italy, with tasty appetizers to accompany the bold flavors. $25. www.paesanosannarbor.com .

Summer Sides On The Grill. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Ann Arbor Cooks, 5060 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor. Looking for some new and interesting side dishes for grilling? Menu includes grilled ratatouille; grilled potato salad with watercress,s callions and blue cheese vinaigrette; grilled corn salad with lime butter and tarragon and grilled cherry tomato and watercress salad with green garlic vinaigrette. $65. 734-645-1030.

Zingerman’s Cena Classica Italiana: Northern Italy Dinner. 7-10 p.m. Zingerman Roadhouse, 2501 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor. Zingerman’s Food Tours is headed to Piedmont, Italy in October of 2011. Helping put everyone in the Italian mood a few months early, Chef Alex is working with Elph and Jillian, from Zingerman’s Food Tours, to craft a menu traditional to the region. $45. www.zingermansroadhouse.com.

Thursday, June 2

Thursday Night Rush Hour Relief at the Wine Bar, plus special “Twitter Tasting.” 5-8:30 p.m. Cranbrook Whole Foods, 990 W. Eisenhower Parkway, Ann Arbor. This week's topic: Top Ten Summer Wines. Special this week only, from 8-9 p.m., Twitter Tasting: follow along with Whole Foods Market wine buyers and other wine enthusiasts at @WFMWineGuys and #WFMWine. $17.

Legacy Land Conservancy 40th Anniversary Gala. 6-9 p.m. Misty Farms, 8040 Scio Church Road, Scio Township. Chefs Alex Young of Zingerman's Roadhouse, Brandon Johns of Grange Kitchen and Bar and Heather Price of Sandhill Crane Winery in Jackson County serve cuisine and paired wines. Every guest will receive a European-style chocolate treat from Schakolad Chocolate Factory. Jolly Pumpkin ale and Arbor Brewing Company's special keg beer, as well as beer from Ann Arbor’s newest brewery, Wolverine State Brewing Co. $125. www.legacylandconservancy.org.

Fish Taco Party. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Ann Arbor Cooks, 5060 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor. Menu includes grilled snapper with citrus vinaigrette; grilled shrimp with orange-cilantro vinaigrette; grilled swordfish with lime-basil-jalapeno vinaigrette; smooth tomato-serano chile salsa and guacamole. $65. 734-645-1030 .

Beer Tasting: Fruit Beers and Ciders. 7-9 p.m. Ann Arbor Brewing Co., 114 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor. At this fun, summertime tasting Ann Arbor Brewing will serve everything from blueberry stouts to cherry alts, paired with an appetizer buffet. Tickets $25 in advance or $30 purchased on tasting day. www.arborbrewing.com.

The Monthly Slurps. 5-7 p.m. Spotted Dog Winery, 108 E. Michigan Ave., Saline. Stop in for an after-hours wine and food event. Price: TBD. www.spotteddogwinery.com.

To submit events for this calendar, e-mail calendar@annarbor.com.