Avoiding the traffic and craziness of Philadelphia and the Papal Visit? With all due respect to Pope Francis, why not stay local and stress-free by checking out some Bucks County and Hunterdon County events this weekend that will fill your stomach?
1. Chicken BBQ
Sat, Sept 26, 4 – 7 pm, Forest Grove Presbyterian Church, 1856 Forest Grove Rd, Forest Grove, PA
Summer might be coming to a close but that doesn’t mean the BBQ-ing has to end! Head over to Forest Grove Presbyterian Church for their famous chicken BBQ from 4 – 7 pm on Saturday, September 26. The BBQ is $14 for an adult, and $9 for a child. It includes ½ chicken (¼ for children) with homemade sides of baked beans, apple sauce, cole slaw, corn muffin and dessert. Eat-in or take-out! If you use your GPS for directions, use Furlong. Pre-order tickets available by calling 215.794.8575.
Also on Saturday if you’re really a meat eater you’ll enjoy the monthly Pig Roast at Newtown Farmer’s Market on South Eagle Road, in Newtown, PA. Come from 12 – 4 pm for the roast, and also join in the 19th anniversary celebration of the market. There will be a homemade apple sauce demonstration, buggy rides, and chances to win prizes.
2. Steuben Grape Picking
Sat, Sept 26, 1o am, Peace Valley Winery, 300 Old Limekiln Road, Chalfont, PA
You know the roads around Philadelphia are going to be bad this weekend, so get out of the city and get to the country at Peace Valley Winery. The last grapes of the pick-your-own season start this Saturday at 10 am. Steuben are large sweet blue grapes full of flavor. These grapes traditionally sell out on the opening weekend, so don’t wait until Monday.
There are also lots of apples available for pick-your-own. The apples this year are some of the biggest they’ve ever grown. And the weather’s going to be good for pickin’.
Where to go to get your local apples? See our post, The 2015 Apple Report.
3. Foodshed Alliance Wine and Food Festival at Alba Vineyard
Sat-Sun, Sept 26-27, 12-5 pm, Alba Vineyard & Winery, 269 Route 627, Village of Finesville, Milford, NJ
New Jersey’s premium wineries are pouring their finest estate wines at the second annual Foodshed Alliance Wine and Food Festival at Alba Vineyard. The festival is the vineyards’s largest charitable event of the year with 100% of the proceeds going to the Foodshed Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening local food systems that nourish people, sustain farmers, respect lands, and build a resilient food economy (not to be confused with the Bucks County Foodshed Alliance).
Staying true to the mission, the festival will feature New Jersey’s most reputable chefs doing cooking demonstrations, lectures and giving out samples (yum!). Local celebrity cookbook authors as well as farmers will also share tips and strategies on how to best prepare, preserve and enjoy food locally, and you can tour the vineyard too. The festival features the best commercial wineries in the state who produce wine from grapes only grown in the Garden State (hence, estate wines), as well as some of the most storied wineries in the world.
Tickets can be purchased at the door for $35. Tickets for those ages 16 to 21 are $10, and tickets for designated drivers are also $10. Children under 16 years old are admitted free.
4. Experience Peru at Quinoa with the Bucks County Taste Dinner Club
Sun, Sept 27, 6 – 8 pm, 3710 N. Easton Rd, Doylestown, PA
Peruvian cuisine is innovative, unique and absolutely delicious. Come to Quinoa Peruvian & Mexican Restaurant this Sunday, September 27 to experience great Peruvian food, music, cocktails made from Peru’s famous brandy, Pisco, and even a ceviche cooking class (which begins at 5:30 pm). Chef Jack Egoavil, one of the family members who own and run Quinoa and El Tule, their sister restaurant in Lambertville, will share what makes
Peruvian cuisine so special with background, history and cooking tips while we enjoy this three-course dinner. 
To learn more, see the full menu and to register (by Saturday, September 26), click here. Cost is $70 per person which INCLUDES tax and gratuity.
Come too to meet great people. The Bucks County Taste Dinner Club began in October 2014 and has hosted events at The Golden Pheasant Inn, Hearth, Dad’s Hat Rye Whiskey Distillery, The Inn at Barley Sheaf Farm, The Hattery Stove & Still, Bowman’s Tavern and Maize. Wouldn’t you like to be a part of this? No membership fee, just sign up for the events you’d like to attend.
For more details on any of these events, please go to our full calendar, Food Events in Bucks County.
Want to know what’s happening in Hunterdon County? See our Food Events in Hunterdon County calendar.
