Wednesday, November 11

Happy fifth birthday, the Florentine (151 W. Adams St., Loop, 312-660-8866)! To mark the occasion, every table will be gifted free birthday cake petits fours during both lunch and dinner service.

It’s also the second anniversary of the Chicago debut of Lyfe Kitchen, and their River North location (413 N. Clark St., 312-836-5933) is handing out free chocolate chip cookies with every purchase in honor of the milestone.

Thursday, November 12

Go beyond grilling your sausages with help from Doug Sohn (Hot Doug’s) and Jimmy Shay (Butcher & Larder) at a cooking demonstration at Local Foods (1427 W. Willow St., Industrial Corridor, 312-432-6575). For $40 (tickets here), the meat mavens will show you several alternative recipes for prepping your preferred encased meats. Class starts at 6 p.m.

Investigate the wines of the Balkans during dinner at Autre Monde (6727 Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn, 708-775-8122). Wine director John Aranza, Croatian by heritage, will showcase bottles from Slovenia and Serbia as well as his family’s country of origin during a five-course meal, which runs for $95 with pairings. Call the restaurant to make a reservation for the meal (it starts with a 6 p.m. reception.)

Saturday, November 14

Stock your kitchen with the cast-offs of some of Chicago’s top chefs at the Green City Market’s Culinary Garage Sale, taking place at Naha (500 N. Clark St., River North) from 8 a.m. to noon. The $10 general admission gets you access to a panoply of chef coats, china, silverware, and cookbooks, among other things. Proceeds benefit the market’s educational programming.