RIB JOINT: Get your 'cue on with Famous Dave's Legendary Pit Barbecue, now open in the Vista Village Center. This is the chain's first franchise in San Diego County. Famous Dave's features barbecued ribs, chicken, brisket, chopped pork and hot links, and perhaps almost as enticing is the rack of different sauces offered with each. Yes, fish, soup, salad and burgers are also available. Visit Famous Dave's at 303 Vista Village Drive. Phone: (760) 726-7866.

New products

FRUIT TREATS: Welch's introduces a line of dried fruit in resealable bags: 1/4 cup equals one serving of fruit. Tropical Sensation (pineapple, mango and papaya), Mixed Fruit (pineapple, cranberries,cherries, apples and premium raisins) and Berry Medley (blueberries, cherries, cranberries and golden raisins) are in 6-ounce bags; cherries are in a 5 1/2-ounce bag. Price range is $2.69-$3.99.

Events

DINING OUT FOR LIFE: San Diego restaurants are donating part of their profits from meals tonight to raising funds to fight HIV/AIDS through Dining Out For Life International. By making a reservation for a meal tonight at a participating restaurant, you can make one meal matter. For a complete list of cities and participants, visit www.diningoutforlife.org.

MEET THE CHEFS: Chefs from 14 top restaurants in San Diego County will serve up their signature dishes from 1-4 p.m. Sunday during the Meet the Chefs of Del Mar event at the Hilton Del Mar. Proceeds will benefit Casa de Amparo, a nonprofit agency caring for abandoned, abused and severely neglected children throughout San Diego County. Guests will also sample wines provided by John Parker of Young's Market/The Estates Group. Opportunity drawings, a silent auction, and live entertainment round out the event, and TV weatherman Loren Nancarrow will emcee. Tickets are available by calling Cindy Snowder, (760) 754-5500, Ext. 28.

WINE DINNER: J.Taylor's Restaurant at L'Auberge Del Mar Resort & Spa launches its wine dinner series at 6 p.m. Sunday with Castello Banfi Wines. The five-course meal is $130 per person. This first vintner's dinner will be a fundraiser for the Del Mar Village Association. The resort is at 1540 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar. Reserve to (858) 755-1179 or visit www.laubergedelmar.com.

WINE DINNER: Cafe Merlot at the Bernardo Winery hosts a five-course Meet the Winemaker dinner from 6-9 p.m. May 4. Cost is $75 and includes free wine glass. Meet the Winemaker is a monthly event and the next dates are June 15, July 20 and Sept. 14. Reserve to (858) 592-7785.

WINEMAKERS CHOICE WEEKEND: The Temecula Valley Winegrowers host the annual Winemakers Choice Weekend from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 5-6. Visit 21 wineries and chat with the winemakers during this two-day event. Tickets are $83; designated driver tickets are $63. Call (800) 801-WINE or visit www.temeculawines.org.

MAMA'S DAY: The annual benefit for Mama's Kitchen, a nonprofit meal delivery service for men, women and children affected by AIDS/HIV or other critical illnesses, will be at 6:30 p.m. May 11 at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla. Mama's Day is the organization's signature event, where 70 of the San Diego area's top chefs join to provide a showcase of food and beverages in support of Mama's clients who rely on the meals delivered by volunteers throughout the year. Tickets are $125 and all proceeds benefit Mama's Kitchen. Call (619) 233-6262, Ext. 112, or buy online at www.mamaskitchen.org.

VODKA DINNER: Asia-Vous restaurant hosts a four-course dinner paired with hand-crafted Modern Spirits vodkas at 6 p.m. May 23. Vodkas include Black Truffle, Candied Ginger, Pear Lavender, Chocolate Orange and more. Cost is $75 per person. Limited seating. Reserve to (760) 747-5000. Asia-Vous is at 417 W. Grand Ave., Escondido.

Classes

COOKING CLASSES: Chef Don Heiser of Firehouse Gourmet in Encinitas offers these classes. Register at (760) 943-1744, e-mail firehousegourmet@cox.net or visit www.firehousegourmet.com. Cost ranges from $45-$55. The schedule:

May 5: Dinner With the Chef

June 9: Afternoon BBQ

June 30: Discovering Wine

July 7: Chef Don's Dinner

July 28: Summer Fun

COOKING CLASSES: Alchemy of the Hearth offers these "hands-on" cooking classes held at Escondido Adult School's San Pasqual High School or Poway Adult School's Rancho Bernardo High School. Register to (760) 745-6553 or visit www.alchemyofthehearth.com:

June 5: Barbeque University

June 12: Sauces

June 13: The Dinner Club

June 14: Cooking With Your Kids

KITCHEN WITCH: Kitchen Witch Gourmet Shop offers these classes and more at 127 N. El Camino Real, Suite D, Encinitas. Call (760) 942-3228 or visit www.kitchenwitchonline.com:

Wednesday: Pucker up - Foods with Citrus

May 3: Raw Foods

May 4: Tasting is Believing Wine Event

May 5: Convection Cooking

May 9: Fingerfood Buffet

May 11: Memorial Day Feast

May 12: Mommy (or Daddy) & Me Tea

CHOCOLATE CAMP: Chocolate expert Carole Bloom offers a Chocolate Camp from Aug. 7-8 in Carlsbad with two full days of classes, excursions, tastings and an all-chocolate dinner party. For details, visit www.carolebloom.com or call (760) 931-5920.

In the spirits

WINE COMPANY TASTINGS: The North County Wine Company hosts wine tastings daily at 1099 San Marcos Blvd., San Marcos, plus special events from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Call (760) 744-2119 or visit www.NorthCountyWineCompany.com:

5-8 p.m. tonight: Pacific Ridge Vineyards, $15.

Fri-Sun: South American Adventure, $15.

May 4-6: Let's Go to Italy, $20.

May 11-13: Champagne, Port and Chocolate, price TBA.

WEEKLY TASTING: Wine Street Inc. hosts tastings from 5:30-8 p.m. Fridays. Appetizers to match are served. Wine Street is at 6986 El Camino Real, Suite D, in Carlsbad. Call (760) 431-8455 or visit www.winestreet.com:

Friday: Napa Handcrafted with winemaker Bob Nenow, $20.

May 4: New releases, $20.

WINE TASTING: Carlsbad Wine Merchants hosts tastings at 6 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for a small fee at 5814 Van Allen Way, Suite 155, Carlsbad. Call (888) 750-WINE or visit www.CarlsbadWineMerchants.com:

Fri-Sun: Winemaker Cecil deLoach, $20

HOLIDAY TASTES: Holiday Wine Cellar hosts these tastings from 5:30-7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted at 302 W. Mission Ave., Escondido. Call (760) 745-1200:

6-8 p.m. today: Montes Chilean Wine Tasting, $15.

May 3: Washington State tasting, $12.

May 12: The Great and Powerful Zin!, $12.

6-7:30 p.m. May 17: WIne 101, $10.

May 24: German Rieslings, $12.

2-4 p.m. May 26: Southern Hemisphere tasting, $12.

June 7: Syrah From Around the World, $12.

WINE STYLES: Wine Styles in Encinitas hosts weekly tastings from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 1-6 p.m. Saturdays. Cost is $15, $10 for WineClub members and includes six to eight wines and snacks. The shop also hosts WineDown Fridays, where guests enjoy wine, live music and can bring in food to socialize. Call (760) 633-0057:

Wednesday and May 5: Paso Robles wines

May 3: Classic Wines and Artisan Cheeses, $30 (special event, RSVP)

May 9 and 12: Mother's Day celebration and gift wines

May 16 and 19: Everyday Quaffers and Patio Sippers

May 17: Sushi and Wine, $35 (special event, RSVP)

May 23 and 26: California Dreamin'

May 30 and June 2: Dads and Grads celebration and gift wines

June 6 and 9: Big and Bold

June 13 and 16: Silky and Sexy

June 20 and 23: Fruit Forward/Fruit Bombs

June 21: 'If You Insist' tasting, $35 (special event, RSVP)

June 27 and 30: Easy Going Mellows

WINE TASTING: Wild Note Cafe hosts Wine Wednesday tastings monthly. Call (858) 259-7310 for cost and schedule.

Now open

Super Suppers, a meal-assembly business, has a new franchise at 191 N. El Camino Real, Suite 201, Encinitas, run by Alison Jones and Angie Arboit. The business lets customers assemble meals, but also has an assembly service and delivers meals as well. Call (760) 944-3936 or e-mail us at: info@ssencinitasca.com. Our Web site is www.ssencinitasca.com.

On TV

Carlsbad chef and nutrition guru Jay Robb has a new TV program. "The Fat Burning Chef" will air at 7 a.m. Tuesdays on XDTV/Channel 13 and Direct TV Channel 49. Robb is the author of "Fruit Flush 3-Day Detox" and other nutrition books, as well as being a fitness club owner and clinical nutritionist. Visit jayrobb.com.

Honors and awards

Red Tracton's in Solana Beach is one of 18 state restaurants nominated for the 2007 California Beef backer Award by the California Beef Council. For more about past California Beef Backer restaurants, visit www.calbeef.org.

Chain news

BK JOE: Burger King introduces Mocha BK Joe Iced Coffee, made with creamy coffee, blended with smooth chocolate syrup and poured over ice. It's available for a limited time. Suggested retail price is $1.99 for a 22-ounce cup. … The Togo's chain has sacked its plastic forks and will now offer all its fresh and tasty salads wrapped in whole grain tortillas. The Togo's line of Salad Wraps include the Santa Fe Chicken Salad, Mediterranean Tuna Salad, Cobb Salad, Asian Chicken Salad, Roasted Chicken Caesar Salad, Taco Salad and Farmers Market Salad.

- Send information about local food products, food events or classes to Food Editor, North County Times, 207 E. Pennsylvania, Escondido, CA 92025, fax to (760) 745-3769, or e-mail to features@nctimes.com.