There’s a bunch of food and drink festivals in KC this week

The Pitch’s Taste of KC takes place this Thursday at KC Live! in the Power & Light District

Thursday, May 16

Six local chefs compete tonight for the Golden Fork at The Pitch‘s Taste of KC event at KC Live! (1330 Grand Boulevard), hosted by X105.1 FM’s Afentra and Pitch’n Kitch’n host Brock Wilbur. While the chefs scramble and compete, attendees will sit back, watch the throwdown, and enjoy bites and drinks from the following vendors: The Aladdin Holiday Inn Hotel, Bizz & Weezy Confections, Kettle One, Baileys, Metropolitan KC – Marriott, EJ’s Urban Eatery, Harvesters – The Community Food Network, The Homesteader Cafe, Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar, Jerusalem Cafe, KC Classic Gourmet Foods, Martin Brothers Winery, Our Lady of Mercy Country Home, No Cost Coffee Roasters, Midwest Tea Fest, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Parker at The Fontaine, The Photo Bus, Seasons 52, Smitty’s Garage Burgers & Beer, Tavernonna, Scoby Masters Tea-Biotics, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Topgolf and Austin Eastciders. Tickets start at $40; pick those up here.

Meet cats, drink beer, and benefit KC Pet Project’s kitten foster families tonight at Cinder Block Brewery (110 East 18th Street). Entry is $5 (or a donated item from KCPP’s foster kitten wish list) and includes hangs with kittens, with beer available to purchase.

Courtesy Pirtle Winery

Saturday, May 18

Ten unique local wineries will be represented at the fourth annual Weston Winefest, held at Pirtle Winery (502 Spring Street). Tickets are $25, and include samples and a tasting glass. Local wineries represented include Pirtle Winery , Ladoga Ridge Winery, Windy Wine Company, Riverwood Winery, Fence Stile Winery, Tipple Hill Winery, Vox Vineyards, Jowler Creek Winery, Weston Wine Company  andVan Till Family Farm Winery. Learn more and purchase tickets via Eventbrite.

The tenth annual Kansas City Nanobrew Festival is today from 2-6 p.m. at Berkley Riverfront Park (1298 East Riverfront Drive). The festival, which celebrates local home brewing, has served as a launching pad for several KC breweries. About 350 (!) unique beers will be available at this year’s event; food trucks and live music will also be on-site. Tickets are $40 and available via Eventbrite or at the event.

Velo Garage (1403 Swift Street) is opening its brand-new beer garden tonight at 7 p.m. Dead Beet Taco Shop will be on hand serving vegan tacos, plus outdoor games and lots of beer.

Sunday, May 19

Bike Walk KC presents the tenth annual Tour de Bier KC, beginning at 8 a.m. at Knuckleheads (2715 Rochester Street). Tour de Bier KC is a supported (guided) bike route of multiple lengths (15, 35 and 50 miles each, approximately), with stops at breweries and historic breweriana locations around Kansas City. Registration includes the ride, beer samples, two drink tickets, lunch, and souvenirs. Walk-up registration will be available for $60, or you can pre-register at the BikeWalkKC office at 3629 Gillham for $50. More information, including route details, are available via BikeWalkKC’s website. Proceeds benefit BikeWalkKC’s mission to make Kansas City a safer and more friendly place to bike and walk.

Learn how to harvest native herbs from your own backyard at tonight’s ‘Eat Your Backyard’ event at Phoenix Herb Company (3957 Main Street). Attendees will learn how to forage, pick, and eat herbs like nettle, dandelion, chickweed and violet. Tickets (available here) are $25, and include instruction as well as samples of foods you will learn how to make with these edibles.

The Better Cheddar (604 West 48th Street) is hosting a Spanish cheese and wine event, which will be hosted by certified cheese professional Lincoln Broadbooks, and wine expert Jennifer Hernandez. Each $50 ticket includes several tastings of cheese, wine and accompaniments. Pick up tickets via Eventbrite.