Benefit to serve up ‘Tastes of the World’

Element 112, 5735 N. Main St, Sylvania, has won a place in Wine Spectator’s 2014 Restaurant Awards.

THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT
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On Saturday, have fun and help to raise money at this year’s Veggie U Food and Wine Celebration. Veggie U is a nonprofit interactive program teaching children about nutrition and sustainable agriculture through classroom programs, and works with several schools in the Toledo area.

Previously held outdoors in Milan, Ohio, where the program is based, this year the event is moving to the Hospitality Management Center of Tri-C and Pura Vida spaces on Public Square, 180 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, and will be from 7-10:30 p.m.

Veggie U Executive Director Nadia Clifford says, “Our number one purpose is to sustain classroom garden education both locally and nationally, and our fund-raiser will help us meet that goal.”

This year’s theme is “Tastes of the World,” and the event features more than a dozen chefs offering delicious samples at tasting stations. Wine pairings have been selected to complement the dishes, and a wine pull and silent auction will complete the evening.

Tickets are available for $150 per person by going to VeggieUFoodandWine2014.Eventbrite.com or by calling 419-499-7500.

Fun with Faygo

To welcome the newest flavor — Cotton Candy — to its lineup, Faygo has partnered with Detroit Bikes to sponsor a photo contest, with prizes such as a new bicycle, Cedar Point tickets, sodas, T-shirts, and more. Until July 31, take a picture of yourself and your loved ones enjoying summer with Faygo Cotton Candy soda, then upload the photo to Instagram with the hashtag #FaygoCottonCandy. The three images with the most “likes” will be declared winners.

For more information, go to facebook.com/​faygo or faygo.com.

Good Food Awards

The Good Food Awards, coordinated by Seedling Projects, bill themselves as “the first and only national initiative honoring producers across the country for taste, sustainability, and social responsibility.”

Makers of food and drink products are now welcome to submit their beer, charcuterie, cheeses, chocolates, coffee, confections, pickles, preserves, oils, spirits, and honey for consideration in the fifth annual celebration of the Good Food Awards. Finalists (to be announced in November) and winners (to be awarded in January) will be selected based upon sustainable production criteria and blind taste tests.

Entries for the Good Food Awards will be accepted through Aug. 1. To enter, or for more information, go to goodfoodawards.org. There is a $65 entry fee.

Element 112, 5735 N. Main St, Sylvania, has won a place in Wine Spectator’s 2014 Restaurant Awards.

Element 112 honored

Element 112, 5737 Main St., Sylvania, has been named among Wine Spectator’s 2014 Restaurant Awards, a list which honors establishments around the world which offer the best wine selections.

Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher of Wine Spectator, says: “The commitment of this year’s winning restaurateurs to building high-quality wine programs has been extraordinary. There has never been a more exciting time to be a wine lover.”

The Final Cut

The Final Cut Steak & Seafood restaurant at Hollywood Casino Toledo has been given three OpenTable Diners’ Choice awards, as voted by OpenTable diners: Toledo’s Best Overall restaurant, Best Ambiance, and Best Food.

Stephen Greer, director of food and beverage at Hollywood Casino Toledo, said, “We’re extremely proud of the entire team for the hard work that earned these awards.”

He continued by saying that “an award like this means the most because it comes from our guests — this recognizes the effort our phenomenal staff puts into delivering the red carpet experience that makes a night out at Final Cut Steak & Seafood truly special.”

Send your food-related news for Morsels to food@theblade.com at least two weeks ahead of the event. Contact Mary Bilyeu at: mbilyeu@theblade.com or 419-724-6155.