The Week In Eats

Atlantic City Beer Festival, Cooking with Lance Silverman and more.

by Elisabeth Holm

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"The Celebration Suds" sounds like a chapter header on a Girls Gone Wild DVD, but really, it's better than that: We're talking beer, and lots of it. Organizers are expecting 10,000 attendees and they've upped the ale ante from 24 to 64 brands. Look out for Wiedenmayer Jersey Lager, Barley Creek, Sierra Nevada, Black Dog Ale and many Philly craft faves. Gary Monterosso of Beer Radio will emcee and judge the brews along with other critics and writers. Irish rock band Bernamwood will play songs to sip along to, and custom motorcycle builder Suicide Jack will provide additional entertainment should carnival games and beer-themed prizes not suffice. Atlantic City Convention Center, 1 Miss America Way, Atlantic City, N.J., www.acbeerfest.com.

Lance Silverman is the Miles Davis of the brunch world. The Sabrina's chef says he's eager to be a part of Reading Terminal's "Cooking with Great Chefs of Philadelphia" series: "I'm happy to give up my secrets ... I've always got more." Silverman will demo and distribute recipes for Sabrina's staples including banana French toast and the fried cornmeal catfish taco lunch special. He'll also share tips for making a sweet potato cake with mushroom buxelle and caramelized leeks, topped with poached eggs, roasted tomatoes, grilled sausage, sour cream and onion gravy. Registration required. Demo Kitchen of Foster's Gourmet Cookware, Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Filbert streets, 215-204-6946.

Keith Wallace, president and founder of the Wine School of Philadelphia, wants to see you eat jellybeans with your nose plugged. It's not for his personal amusement, though: He wants you to realize just how much taste relies on smell. This four-day workshop teaches students how to understand wine through the five senses. Wallace uses seven to 10 wines per class; topics include the difference between reds and whites, food pairing, blind tasting and the science behind wine. (If only all chem teachers taught with booze.) Once students complete the course, they'll receive full membership to the Wine School, which includes discounts and admission to select events. Registration required. The Wine School of Philadelphia, 2006 Fairmount Ave., 800-817-7351, www.vinology.com.

Harris Eckstut of Eckstut Small Business and Restaurant Consultants teaches "The Dollars and Sense of Owning a Restaurant," a workshop he calls a "reality check" for anyone who wants to give Stephen Starr a run for his boatloads of money. His step-by-step lesson plan covers everything from financing to liquor licenses. Eckstut, whose clients include Downey's and Zanzibar Blue, says the reason restaurants have such high mortality rates is that "they're undercapitalized, and the cardinal rule of business if that you have to be capitalized." Study those figures, guys: We're counting on y'all to save the world from Buddakans on every corner. Registration required. The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, 4207 Walnut St., 215-222-4200.