25 Food & Drink Events For April and Beyond

Today is April 1, which only means that it's time to look at some of the hottest the food and drink events slated to take place around this world this month and beyond. In New York, folks will be talking about the intersection of food and technology at the Roger Smith Conference on Food, while Los Angelenos will examine science and food with the return of the UCLA Science & Food Public Lecture Series. Food festivals are happening all across America — in Rhode Island, Austin, Houston, Pebble Beach — while Coachella is matching its musical lineup with some serious food offerings. Then, at the end of the month, restaurants around the world will brace for the announcements of two major accolades: the James Beard Foundation Awards and the World's 50 Best Restaurants. Here's the full list:

World Gourmet Summit
When: March 26 - April 5, 2014
Where: Singapore
What: Michelin-starred international chefs such as Sergi Arola, Mauro Colagreco, Thomas Buhner, and more descend upon Singapore for this year's World Gourmet Summit, which includes themed dinners, "gastronomic jam sessions," cocktail parties, brunches, and more.

Roger Smith Conference on Food
When: April 3 — April 5, 2014
Where: New York, NY
What: The Roger Smith Hotel is bringing in chefs and food experts for this year's food+tech conference to discuss topics such as 3-D printing, the rise of food apps, biotechnology, "the technology of cake," the influence of radio and TV cooking programs, modernist cuisine, and the "many conundrums of raw and pasteurized milk." Panelists include Wylie Dufresne and Maricel Presilla.

Le Bon Appetit
When: April 5, 2014
Where: Memphis, TN
What: Once again this year, chef Kelly English is teaming up with Le Bonheur Club and a ton of his most celebrated chef friends to benefit Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. This year's lineup of chefs includes John Currence, Ashley Christensen, Kevin Nashan, Gerard Craft, Eli Kirshtein, Phillip Lopez, Michelle Bernstein, Chris Shepherd, and more.

Cochon 555
When: February 9 - April 27, 2014
Where: Various locations.
What: Traveling pork orgy Cochon 555 already kicked off this year's tour in New York City, and now it continues its route around America to crown more Princes and Princesses of Pork. Next up is Boston on April 6, Chicago on April 13, and San Francisco on April 27.

Chicago Humanities Festival
When: April 10, 2014
Where: Chicago, IL
What: The Chicago Humanities Festival is bringing in heavy-hitters Alice Waters and Ruth Reichl "for a rare and intimate conversation about culinary culture," according to the official site. After the event, there will be a reception to benefit Waters' Edible Schoolyard Project.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine
When: April 10 — April 13, 2014
Where: Pebble Beach, CA
What: This West Coast event is bringing together about 250 wineries and 100 big-name chefs for four days of drinking and eating. The lineup includes the likes of Traci Des Jardins, Dean Fearing, Jose Garces, Duff Goldman, Carla Hall, Linton Hopkins, Hubert Keller, Paul Liebrandt, Jon Shook, Nancy Silverton, Michael Symon, Michael Voltaggio, Andrew Zimmern, and more.

Coachella
When: April 11 — April 20, 2014
Where: Indio, CA
What: Beyond the insane musical lineup slated to play over the course of two weekends, Coachella also has a ton to offer in the way of food. There'll be food trucks from Kogi BBQ, Umami Burger, a farmers' market, yurts featuring the likes of Stumptown and Salt & Straw, a pop-up restaurant from Night + Market, and a VIP pop-up from chef Josef Centeno.

Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair
When: April 23 — April 27, 2014
Where: Houston, TX
What: Houston's 11th annual food festival returns in 2014 with chefs such as Kevin Williamson, Neal Cox, Jean-Philippe Gaston, Rebecca Masson, and Ronnie Killen in the lineup. In addition to the grand tasting, there are going to be all kinds of seminars on the likes of whiskey, tequila, and wine, as well as a VIP dinner that will recreate the 1976 tasting in Paris that catapulted the stature of California wines.

UCLA Science & Food Public Lecture Series
When: April 23 — June 1, 2014
Where: Los Angeles, CA
What: UCLA's Science & Food lecture series returns this year with presentations from LA chef Morihiro Onodera on the Science of Sushi (April 23), Wylie Dufresne and Peter Meehan and How We Taste (May 14), and Dave Arnold and Lena Kwak on Harnessing Creativity (and the Science of Pie).

Food Film Festival
When: April 24 — April 26, 2014
Where: Charleston, SC
What: Charleston hosts its second-annual Food Film Festival this year. The festival kicks off on the flight deck of the USS Yorktown with a screening of The Kings of BBQ: Barbecue Kuwait, accompanied by all you can eat brisket and barbecued chicken.

Eat Drink RI Festival
When: April 24 — April 27, 2014
Where: Providence, RI
What: Chefs from across Rhode Island will celebrate their state's culinary landscape in Providence through a series of collaborative meals and events. Chefs such as Benjamin Sukle (Birch) and Champe Speidel (Persimmon) will participate in a six-course feast with wine and beer pairings, while other events include a grand brunch and a food truck stop with musical entertainment.

Baconfest Chicago
When: April 25 — April 26, 2014
Where: Chicago, IL
What: Chicago's Baconfest is back this year with tastings of bacon-filled dishes to satisfy the masses who love their cured meat. Tickets are sold out for most of the exhibition sessions, so jump on it now to get bacony tastings from local restaurants such as Perennial Virant, Sable, Spacca Napoli, ING, and more.

Food Book Fair
When: April 25 — April 27, 2014
Where: Brooklyn, NY
What: The Food Book Fair is indeed returning to Brooklyn in late April with its usual slew of literary events. There will be salon discussions about everything from coffee to knishes, expert panels, a food book slam, a zine fest, and a dinner at Egg restaurant inspired by To Kill a Mockingbird. Per its website, this festival aims to bring together "food enthusiasts, chefs, artists, writers, designers and publishers to celebrate the intersection between food culture and our food system."

Austin Food & Wine Festival
When: April 25 — April 27, 2014
Where: Austin, TX
What: The lineup at this year's Austin Food & Wine Festival includes the likes of Andrew Zimmern, Paul Qui, Richard Blais, Aaron Franklin, Rick Bayless, Graham Elliot, Tim Love, John Currence, Ming Tsai, and so much more. Beyond the grand tasting, there will be demos, panels, a "taste of Texas" party, taco showdown, and more.

Great Vegas Festival of Beer
When: April 26, 2014
Where: Las Vegas, NV
What: This year's Great Vegas Festival of Beer will feature more than 250 beers from 80 breweries when it hits Fremont East in Aril. There's also going to be demos and talks from beer experts, live music, food trucks and a gastropub featuring local chefs and local beers.

The Emporiyum
When: April 26 — April 27, 2014
Where: Baltimore, MD
What: Chefs from across the Mid-Atlantic will gather in Baltimore this weekend for the Emporiyum food market featuring the likes of Bryan Voltaggio (Volt, Frederick), Spike Gjerde (Woodberry Kitchen, Baltimore), and Erik Bruner-Yang (Toki Underground, DC). There will also be tastings from Momofuku Milk Bar, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, Luke's Lobster, and pours from Heavy Seas Brewery.

Tasting Australia
When: April 27 — May 4, 2014
Where: Adelaide, Australia
What: Tasting Australia aims to celebrate "real food heroes" in this year's event that focuses on an "origins" theme. Events include a "nose-to-kale" dinner with Fergus Henderson, Ian Curley, and Andrew Davies, as well as a biodynamic wine lunch with James Henry of Paris' Bones, Pope Joan's Matt Wilkinson, and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin.

Mediterranean Feast Fundraiser for Paula Wolfert
When: April 27, 2014
Where: Los Angeles, CA
What: In light of cookbook legend Paula Wolfert's recent Alzheimer's diagnosis, LA chefs are teaming up this month to raise funds for the Alzheimer's Association. Participating chefs include Nancy Silverton, Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger, Josiah Citrin, Kris Yenbamroong, Jet Tila, and more for this lunch that will include more than 30 Mediterranean dishes inspired by Wolfert's books, including a whole lamb roast, paella, bisteeya, berber couscous, and more.

World's 50 Best Restaurants
When: April 28, 2014
Where: London, England
What: Once again this year, the World's 50 Best Restaurants will bestow their sometimes-controversial awards upon a star-studded crowd of international chefs. They've already announced the winner of the world's best female chef as well as sister awards in Asia and Latin America. Stay tuned for the Lifetime Achievement award and more this month.

Looking Ahead:

James Beard Foundation Awards
When: May 2 & May 5, 2014
Where: New York, NY
What: America's food world luminaries will congregate in New York City over the first weekend in May for this year's James Beard Foundation award ceremony. Books, broadcast, and journalism nominees will be revealed on May 2, while the restaurant and chef awards take place on May 5. After-parties will ensue.

Food on Film
When: March 12 — July 9, 2014
Where: Toronto, Canada
What: The Toronto International Film Festival is bringing back its monthly "Food on Film" series in which chefs and food experts come in to talk about their favorite food movies. Momofuku Milk Bar's Christina Tosi will discuss Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in May, and Booker and Dax's Dave Arnold will weigh in on Soylent Green in July.

Vegas Uncork'd
When: May 8 - May 11, 2014
Where: Las Vegas, NV
What: Vegas Uncork'd will take over the Venetian, Aria, the Bellagio, Caesars Palace, and the MGM Grand in May with some massive gastronomic events, such as a night market featuring Mario Batali and Thomas Keller, a sushi and sake class with Nobu Matsuhisa, and a number of masters dinners.

Terroir Symposium
When: May 12, 2014
Where: Toronto, Canada
What: David Chang, Daniel Boulud, Margot Henderson, Albert Adria, Amanda Cohen, Normand Laprise, Peter Meehan, and Joe Beef's David McMillan and Frédéric Morin are headed to Toronto in May for the Terroir Symposium. This year's symposium will explore the topic of "growing ideas" through community building and collaboration. There's also an American/Canadian collaborative lunch provided by the likes of Lauren Resler, Kristen Kish, Jamie Malone, Sarah Simmons, and Soja Finn on the American side.

Ballymaloe LitFest
When: May 16 - May 18, 2014
Where: Shanagarry, Ireland
What: Ireland's Ballymaloe LitFest returns to East Cork this year with another fantastic lineup of speakers, including René Redzepi, Diana Kennedy, Sandor Katz, Ben Reade, and the Jerusalem duo of Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.

Mesamérica
When: May 20 - May 22, 2014
Where: Mexico City, Mexico
What: Enrique Olvera's celebration of Mexican cuisine continues in May with Mesamérico in Mexico City. Presenters at this year's festival include Americans Alice Waters, Mario Batali, Danny Bowien, David Gelb, and Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, while David Thompson will represent from Bangkok, Renato Giovannoni from Argentina, and Rodrigo Oliveira from Brazil.

Something missing? Email it in and we'll add to the roster.

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