Stir up fun this week with a soup cookbook fundraiser and more

Take a break from all those trips to the grocery store and other Thanksgiving preparations with some culinary diversions this week. Start your holiday celebrations early at Jazz@Jack's during tonight's happy hour, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with $4 house wine and $4 snacks. Fortified, you can jump into a...

By Loren Lorenzo

November 25, 2013

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Take a break from all those trips to the grocery store and other Thanksgiving preparations with some culinary diversions this week. Start your holiday celebrations early at Jazz@Jack's during tonight's happy hour, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with $4 house wine and $4 snacks. Fortified, you can jump into a beginner blues dance lesson; your first lesson is free (otherwise it's $5). Then at 8:30 p.m., enjoy the sounds of the Jack Hadley Band. There's no cover, and Jazz@Jacks also offers $5 valet parking on Glenarm Street, between 15th and 16th streets.

Keep reading for more tastes of what's on the culinary calendar this week.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25 Prost Brewing will host a tasting of its award-winning, German-style beers along with competitive chess and backgammon games. A special taster flight will commemorate the event. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online; find more information here.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 Gluten intolerance and Celiac disease are on the rise. Learn more about a gluten-free diet in a class from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Whole Foods in Cherry Creek, which will teach you about keeping meals gluten-contamination-free, foods with hidden gluten and even what gluten-free dishes you can prepare for Thanksgiving.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27 Local burlesque performer Frenchie Renard considers herself "a professional home cook." With five children to cook for, the "most nourishing thing I think you can make is soup," she says. She has put together a collection of her favorite soup recipes and is hoping to self-publish a cookbook with 26 recipes and photos of various Denver burlesque performers -- with your help. Renard will hold a fundraiser at 8 p.m. at Monkey Barrel; the event will feature a burlesque show, homemade soup, live music and a silent auction of everything from artwork to a date with Sid Pink. Admission is $10; for more information, visit her website.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28 Start Thanksgiving with food and fellowship at the 91st annual Thanksgiving breakfast at Calvary Baptist Church; there will be contests and crafting tables starting at 8 a.m. at the fellowship hall. Tickets are $4 (kids under six eat free); purchase them online.

And watch for a roundup of more Thanksgiving activities on Cafe Society.

For information on dozens of culinary events around town, visit our online Food & Drink listings -- and if you have information for a culinary event you'd like included in our online calendar, send it to [email protected].

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