Food Notes

Paula Deen gives her recipe on Williamsburg

A special collector’s issue of “Paula Deen’s Christmas’’ is on newsstands that focuses on Colonial Williamsburg.

Southern cooking maven Paula Deen; her husband, Michael Groover; and the magazine’s editorial staff visited the Williamsburg Inn and Historic Area to experience the magic of Colonial Williamsburg and take photographs for the special issue.

Deen had afternoon tea with Patrick Henry in the terrace Room at the Inn, shopped in the Prentis Store and Silver Ball Jeweler on Duke of Gloucester Street, visited Anderson Blacksmith and learned from historic foodways interpreter Jim Gay how chocolate was made in the 18th century.

To get a copy of the special issue, visit www.cookingwith

pauladeen.com or Colonial Williamsburg retail outlets.

Holiday fare is what’s cooking at Boykin’s

Boykin’s Tavern Museum in Isle of Wight will have an historic holiday food and wine tasting Saturday and Nov. 30.

There will be costumed interpreters, an 1812 encampment and historically appropriate holiday foods.

Sessions run from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and 7 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday and from 5 to 6 p.m. Nov. 30.

Tickets are $25 per session. For information, call Boykin’s Tavern at (757) 365-9771 or the Smithfield and Isle of Wight Visitor Center at (757) 357-5182.

The Melting Pot will help out UVa’s Habitat

On Dec. 2, the Melting Pot will set aside a percentage of the day’s proceeds to benefit University of Virginia Habitat.

There also will be a discounted price of $35 for a four-course fondue meal, also to benefit Habitat, and there will be a raffle for University of Virginia basketball tickets.

To look at the menu or learn other details, call

www.meltingpot.com.

Gray Ghost kicks off the holiday on Friday

Gray Ghost Vineyards and Winery in Amissville will have its Holiday Kickoff from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday.

There will be extended hours to accommodate different schedules. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served throughout the day. Valerie VonFange will perform live music from 4 to 6 p.m. Admission is free. Gray Ghost is at 14706 Lee Highway.

For information, call (540) 937-4869.

Keswick is putting together a wine cruise

Keswick Vineyards will have a Mediterranean wine cruise from July 14 to 26, 2009.

The 12-night voyage on the luxury Insignia ship of Oceania Cruises line will include Rome and other cities in Italy, as well as Monaco, Croatia, Montenegro and Greece.

There will be private shore excursions to vineyard and wineries across Europe.

The ship holds 684 guests with a guest-to-staff ratio of 1.75 to 1. The on-board environment is “country club casual,’’ and there are no formal nights. Guests can dine when and with whom they like in any of four on-board dining venues.

The Keswick group will have a private cocktail reception, two wine tastings, a food-and-wine pairing dinner and lectures on wine making.

The cruise is limited to just 36 staterooms. Rooms range from $5,299 to $3,999. Each can be reserved with a $750 deposit per person. Call Cruise Holiday of Alexandria at (703) 706-0011 or toll free at (866) 368-7327.

Volunteer Farm has a bounty for area hungry

The Volunteer Farm of Shenandoah Valley, a program of the World Foundation for Children, produced 35 tons of fresh vegetables that were donated to people in the Blue Ridge Mountains. That’s more than twice last year’s production amount.

This year, 3,161 volunteers — most younger than 18 — pitched in to help the farm, which brings its five-year total to 244,560 pounds of vegetables. The volunteers traveled from 44 different states and 28 Virginia counties.

Volunteers planted and maintained about 32 acres of beets, bush beans, cantaloupe, corn, cucumbers, lima beans, okra, onions, peas, potatoes, summer squash, turnips, watermelon and zucchini. The vegetables, which had an estimated retail value of $115,000, were donated to food banks serving 25 counties and nine cities in Virginia, including Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Culpeper, Fluvanna, Greene, Madison, Nelson and Orange.

The farm is accepting donations to buy seeds and supplies for next year. Learn more at www.WorldFoundationFor Children.com.

Winery plans food drive for Culpeper Closet

Gray Ghost Vineyards and Winery in Amissville is sponsoring its Holiday Food Drive during December to benefit the Culpeper Food Closet.

Any food or monetary donation qualifies donors for a drawing to receive free tickets to one of Gray Ghost’s events.

For information, call (540) 937-4869.

From staff reports