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A guide to Tampa Bay food and drink events this weekend

The Tampa Bay Repeal Day Gala in Ybor City, Largo’s Death by Chocolate, canning classes at the Fairgrounds, St. Pete’s Plant-Based Popup Dinner and more.
 
The Tampa Bay Repeal Day Gala will bring its Prohibition-themed bash back to Tampa's Cuban Club on Dec. 7.
The Tampa Bay Repeal Day Gala will bring its Prohibition-themed bash back to Tampa's Cuban Club on Dec. 7. [ Times (2011) ]
Published Dec. 4, 2019|Updated Dec. 5, 2019

PARTY LIKE IT’S 1933: REPEAL DAY

Started in 2010, the Tampa Bay Repeal Day Gala invites you to dress in 1920s or ’30s outfits to observe the Dec. 5, 1933, repeal of Prohibition. Celebrate with specialty cocktails at 11 bars across flour floors of Ybor City venue the Cuban Club, plus appetizers and some entertainment. Inspired by the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago this year, the throwback party promises aerial acrobatics, vaudeville acts and live bands. “Tampa Bay Repeal Day is the best annual celebration of the American ability to drink,” Repeal Day chairwoman Ingrid Shawn Rodriguez said in a news release. “It’s a celebration of the Volstead Act’s repeal and the artistry that goes into the cocktail scene in this country and its social significance.” The local chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild puts on the Repeal Day Gala, which has raised more than $130,000 for charity since its inception. Benefits the Cuban Club, Beat NB and the Museum of the American Cocktail. $100, VIP $150. 8 p.m. Saturday. 2010 N Avenida Republica de Cuba, Tampa. eventbrite.com. And if you can’t make the party, hit up the precursor, the Repeal Day Popup Cocktail Party, at Tampa Heights hangout Armature Works when food, unlimited drink tastings and music invade the south lawn. $30 and up. 8 p.m. Friday. 1910 N Ola Ave. eventbrite.com.

PIECE OF CAKE: DEATH BY CHOCOLATE

Who needs dinner? Try dessert samples from restaurants and other businesses at Death by Chocolate, pairing all the sweets with free glasses of Champagne. A wine and beer toss game, “Selfies with Santa” and a silent auction round out the highlights. Benefits Rotary Club of Largo. $20 in advance, $25 day of. 7-9 p.m. Friday. Central Park Performing Arts Center, 105 Central Park Drive, Largo. (727) 587-6793. largorotary.com.

GO GREEN: PLANT-BASED POPUP DINNER

St. Petersburg popup restaurant Cafe Verde brings its second community-focused feast to Baum Ave Market. Hosted at a 24-seat high-top table inside the EDGE District foodporium, the Plant-Based Popup Dinner matches five to-be-announced drinks with five courses from Lokesh Vale of the Twisted Indian, which has a stall at Baum Ave, and Michael Young of Lucy’s, a former Baum Ave tenant that will soon share a space with Valhalla Bakery in the Grand Central District. Soup with winter squash, ancient grains and micro beets; falafel with pickled avocado, seared spaghetti squash and creamy tzatziki; and risotto with asparagus, sweet peas, greens and trumpet mushrooms are a few dishes on the menu. Las Niñas provides the live music, and floral attire is encouraged. $85. 6-10 p.m. Monday. 1113 Baum Ave. N, St. Petersburg. (813) 370-9954. eventbrite.com.

Cafe Verde will hold the Plant-Based Popup Dinner on Dec. 9 at Baum Ave Market in St. Petersburg. [ MICHELLE STARK | Times ]

BITES AND BREWS: LAUNCH PARTY

Raise a glass to the Fat Rabbit becoming a licensed brewpub during the Fat Rabbit Brewing Co. Launch Party. The Tampa Palms neighborhood hangout plans to pour free tastings of its Transplant New England Style Hazy IPA. However, the beer is also available to buy on tap alongside the Oh My Gourd! Pumpkin Milk Stout. Free, drink additional. 3 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday. 16029 Tampa Palms Blvd. W, Tampa. (813) 252-3004.

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MERRY KRAMPUS: KRAMPUSNACHT

Jug & Bottle Dept.’s annual tradition offers an all-day lineup of wine, cider, mead, sake and food samples as well as grub specials by on-site vegan kitchen 3 Dot Dash. But the main draw of Krampusnacht is the opportunity for photos from 2 to 5 p.m. with the half-goat, half-demon himself, Krampus. Free, food and drink additional. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. 6203 N Florida Ave., Tampa. (813) 675-4522. jugandbottledept.com.

HOLIDAY CHEERS: WINE TALKS

Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe co-owner Tegan Foster leads Wine Talks, a chill conversation at the Grand Central District gathering place, every second Tuesday of the month. At this installment, score tips about which wines are great for popping, and gifting, throughout the holiday season. Tickets include a wine flight. Call for reservations. $20. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday. 2927 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. (727) 800-2810.

Holiday wines will drive the next edition of Wine Talks at St. Petersburg's Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe on Dec. 3. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times (2017) ]

DILL WITH IT: CANNING CLASS

You’ve got two chances to learn the art of food preservation through home canning expert Mary Keith’s Canning Class. Keith leads a session on jam and pickles at 10 a.m. Thursday. Then at 10 a.m. Friday, salsa and fruit take center stage. $15, 11 and younger free. Florida State Fairgrounds, 4802 U.S. 301 N, Tampa. (813) 734-2810.