If you’re a foodie, there are plenty of upcoming events in Virginia and DC to keep you busy in the coming weeks and months:

• RVA Sandwich Week (August 24-30) – The latest in a long line of themed food weeks sponsored by Style Weekly, RVA Sandwich Week features $5 sandwich specials from a variety of Richmond-area restaurants. Whether you try the classic Fish N’Chips at Sine Irish Pub, the Jambalaya Grinder at Positive Vibe Cafe, the Fried Green Tomato BLT at Bellytimber Tavern or the River City Cheesesteak at Cafe Caturra, you’re sure to find a new favorite sandwich. If you eat at 3 or more participating restaurants during the week and submit your RVA Sandwich Week “passport” to Style Weekly, you could win a $200 VISA gift card.
• Colonial Williamsburg’s “Taste Tradition” Weekend (September 4-6) – This Labor Day weekend, Colonial Williamsburg will host a number of food and food history-related events, including Bushels & Barrels, where you can experience drinks from the past, meet a past President and enjoy great food and live music. Other events include a Jefferson, Henry & Mrs. Washington Wine Dinner, a What’s Shakin’ With Bacon Breakfast and a Brew and ‘Cue Showdown.  Individual event tickets are available, as well as packages including events and hotel accommodations.
• Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello (September 12) – This annual event is a celebration of Thomas Jefferson, gardener. Each year, special guests offer seminars and programs on subjects ranging from gardening to cooking. Some of this year’s offerings include “Exploring the French Cooking of James Hemings,” “Tomatoes in America – Then and Now,” “The Monticello Kitchen: Mary Randolph’s Contribution to Virginia Cuisine” and “Harvest Mixology: Using Alcohol as a Complement to Your Garden.” The festivities begin on Thursday, September 10 with an “Epic Tomatoes” event, and span Friday and Saturday. Headlining the festival this year are farmers and entrepreneurs The Fabulous Beekman Boys.
• Smithsonian Food History Weekend (October 22-24) – Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History presents a three-day event full of tastings, talks, culinary demonstrations and more. Kicking off with a gala on Thursday the 22nd to be attended by such well-known food personalities as Alton Brown, Marcus Samuelsson and Sara Moulton, the highlight of the evening will be the presentation by Daniel Boulud of the first-ever Julia Child Award. A roundtable on Friday the 23rd focusing on innovation in food and food culture will be followed on Saturday the 24th with a food festival featuring hands-on learning activities, cooking demonstrations and film screenings.
• Metro Cooking DC Show (October 24-25) – This “ultimate food lover’s weekend” takes place at the Washington Convention Center and features a grand tasting pavilion, cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs, cooking classes and more. Special ticketed events are available, like a meet and greet with Giada De Laurentiis and a book signing by Milk Bar chef Christina Tosi. In addition, hand-picked bites from 50 of Washington’s top restaurants will be sampled in the grand tasting pavilion and attendees can enjoy a beer, wine and spirits garden and a bbq bash.
• Fire, Flour & Fork (October 28-November 1) – My favorite food festival of the year! Last year’s Fire, Flour & Fork was so much fun, and so educational. Expect carefully-curated, themed events celebrating the food and food history of Central Virginia, two days of educational seminars and a tasting pavilion jam-packed with all the best Virginia and artisanal food and beverage products. Brought to you by Real Richmond Food Tours and the Virginia Tourism Corporation, this event is not to be missed. Some of the events have already sold out, so get your tickets now! 
  At last year’s Fire, Flour & Fork Festival, I got to hear about the history of bourbon and the bourbon being made in Richmond today.