Bread being the "staff of life" must have its roots with baguettes, the standard being just 2 inches in diameter and 26 inches in length. Shoppers know that baguettes differ, which is why the Bastille Day celebration July 14 at the Sofitel Minneapolis, 5601 W. 78th St., could be quite instructive. Events begin at 7 a.m. when the hotel's bakery, Le Petit Marche, will give away baguettes until noon. Other events begin at 4 p.m., from a château-style moon bounce for kids to Citroën rides for adults. The baguette competition at 6:30 p.m. will feature more than 10 local bakeries vying for the title of "best baguette of the Twin Cities." Tickets are $10 in advance. At the door: $10 for members of Alliance Française and children under 12; $15 for all others.
Spaghetti tacos? The center court at Southdale becomes a kitchen from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 14 when Super Duper Mini Chefs, an event sponsored by Nickelodeon, comes to town to encourage kids to be creative in a culinary way. There's a Nintendo game launch, the iCarly: Groovy Foodie! game, but also actual food activities such as making dirt pudding and trail mix, plus recipe cards for spaghetti tacos, food samples and more. Kids are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item to be donated to local food banks.
Kids in the kitchen For kids who'd like to delve deeper into food knowledge, there's the Kids Cook Classroom Day Camp at Loring Community School, 2600 44th Av. N. in Minneapolis.
On July 16, the topic is grains, and a weeklong session from Aug. 6-10 will cover harvesting, gardening, preserving and cooking. Sessions are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for children 3-12 (children 6-12 may attend without a parent). A $50 donation is requested per child per program, but there also are ways to work off the fees by weeding or watering the community garden and other tasks. To learn more, e-mail kidscookclassroom@ gmail.com or call Robin at 612-597-1235. (Please indicate the donation/contribution you will provide to pay for the program.)
Viva vegetables The first Twin Cities Veg Fest happens July 14, hosted by Compassionate Action for Animals at Coffman Memorial Union on the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota. The free event include speakers, food samples and information for those considering becoming a vegetarian or vegan. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the union, 300 Washington Av. SE. To learn more, visit www.tcvegfest.com.
KIM ODE
