The crew behind Comida Cantina is celebrating the third birthday for "Tina," the hot-pink food truck that inspired two brick and mortars -- today at Flatiron Park in Boulder. There will be food specials and lawn games from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

See also:
- Ten food trucks you need to try this spring
- Serena Romeo, exec chef of Comida Cantina, on a second Comida
- Comida launches lunch and (hip-hop) brunch

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The University of Denver is hosting its fourth annual Vin Festival this week, with food, wine, music and arts courtesy of the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality. Chef/restauranteur Frank Bonanno will join the festivities tonight, cooking up a five-course wine dinner.

See also:
- Frank Bonanno admits he's a "dick" when it comes to battles with the health department
- 100 Favorite Dishes: Lobster macaroni and cheese from Mizuna
- Check, please! Keeping tabs on Denver's restaurant-inspection policy

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It's National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! And to celebrate, Woody Creek Bakery & Cafe -- formerly Paradise Bakery & Cafe -- is giving away free chocolate chip cookies to anyone who stops by any of its seven area stores.

See also:
- Milk and cookies with Lefthand's nitro stout and some Chocolove
- Vegan chocolate-chip cookies for dessert on Meatless Monday
- Ginger cookies for a holiday dessert on Meatless Monday

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Linger

The Seasoned Chef Cooking School, 999 Jasmine Street, is welcoming chef Samm Sherman (of Linger and Root Down) today for a special cooking class focusing on her signature pastries. The class and tasting runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. and costs $80. Keep reading for a look at the curriculum.

See also:
- Denver's ten best dessert spots
- Best Feel-Good Chef 2013 Daniel Asher of Root Down
- Best Rooftop Patio 2013 Linger

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Sweet and sour: Try rhubarb with honey.

Tim Brod of Highland Honey Bees sells creamed honey and herb-infused honey intended to promote health, as well as queen bees and bee packages to would-be apiarists and pollination services for local organic farms. And -- as I learn on my Saturday morning visit to the Boulder Farmers' Market -- he is evangelical about bees and honey.

On the table in front of him, along with jars of honey, there's a plexiglass-fronted box filled with the fuzzy, crawling insects. He and his partner, Dean Chapla, hand out samples as curious people mill around the stand: new bee keepers asking for advice, people wanting to taste samples, children gazing in fascination at the living bee exhibit. And Brod holds forth, energetic, enthusiastic and unstinting. All the honey Highland sells comes from its apiaries, he says, and is subtly flavored by weather patterns, soil conditions and nectar sources -- in other words, by what foodies like to call "terroir" when they're speaking of wine or cheese. The hives are moved frequently to "take advantage of timely and diverse nectar flows," he says. "This is not monoculture honey."

See also:
- Boulder Farmers' Market, week four: Strawberries, and seven things not to do
- Boulder Farmers' Market, week three: spinach is in -- but no apricots, ever?
- Boulder Farmers' Market, week two: Duck eggs to salmon

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American Craft Beer Week begins today and flows through Sunday, May 19. The celebration raises many glasses to the national craft-beer movement happening in this country. Visit the website for a full schedule of events, and continue reading for the rest of this week's menu.

See also:
- Colorado beer calendar: Colorado Beer Week meets American Craft Beer Week
- Odyssey Beerwerks, a brewery and taproom, opens in Arvada in May
- Colorado Plus opens Monday with 56 local beers on tap -- and a brewery next month

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Crema, one of many independent businesses gathering at The Grand Maintaining event this Saturday.

An eclectic group of neighboring, locally owned businesses will convene in the parking lot at 2830 Larimer Street tomorrow afternoon for a free street party that's open to the public. The Grand Maintaining festival is a celebration of "keepin on" in Denver's latest hub of cultural development.

See also:
- Crema Coffee House pairs excellent coffee with excellent food
- Deconstructed duck cubano: Have it your way at the Populist
- Our Mutual Friend Malt & Beer will connect the brewery dots in Five Points

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Whole Foods has partnered with thinkThin -- a health-conscious snack brand -- for a nationwide giveaway deal today as an early celebration of Mother's Day. Each participating location will give the first fifty moms who show up to shop today a gift bag.

See also:
- The sh*t-show that's the parking lot at Whole Foods (video)
- The 104-pound swordfish at Whole Foods: His name is Eduardo
- Best Spot to Scope Hotties 2006 Whole Foods

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Fran Collin

Winner announcement: Congratulations to kristenschenck2, the winner of our Michael Pollan contest, who wrote: "Trying to eat ground beef after reading Omnivore's Dilemma is like trying to swim in the ocean after seeing JAWS." Kristen, we'll send you an e-mail about how you can get your tickets.

Michael Pollan has been called, among other titles, a "food god" (true), more recently a "sexist pig" (false) and a "warrior" (depends on your definition), and in this week's Chef and Tell piece, I interview Pollan, who discusses the American diet, what we eat and how we should eat. He even includes a shout-out to homegrown Chipotle, a quick-service Mexican joint that, applauds, Pollan, "has taken big steps to source their meat -- or at least their pork -- sustainably and, in many places, locally. They're trying to walk the talk."

See also:
- Author Michael Pollan on portion control, the future of food and fast food
- Author Michael Pollan on Chipotle, canned haggis and making organic accessible
- Fuel's Bob Blair on Cooking for Michael Pollan

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Ondo's Facebook page

Ondo's Spanish Tapas Bar, 250 Steele Street, is introducing a new spring menu this evening, and hosting a special paella night beginning at 4 p.m. today. For $28, patrons can choose up to four ingredients to create a customized paella dish, which feeds two to four people; call 303-975-6514 for reservations. And keep reading for a look at the new menu.

See also:
- Ondo's Spanish Tapas Bar rolls out a traditional Basque happy hour
- Ondo's stays true to its Spanish inspiration
- Our outgoing critic ends things at Ondo's, where they're easing into excellence

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