Chow down with four-star chefs as they step out of their kitchens and fire up the grills for Home of the Innocents: It’s the 7th annual Big Ol’ Backyard BBQ! The grills will be smokin’ Saturday, Aug. 25, in the park-like backyard at the Home of the Innocents, 1100 E. Market St. in Louisville. Roll up your sleeves and tuck in your napkin. Get ready to enjoy a buffet of savory barbeque, gourmet side dishes, and desserts galore. This one-of-a-kind, family-friendly event brings together some of Louisville’s top chefs, including Host Chef Laurent Geroli (The Brown Hotel); Chef Anthony Lusiak (Eddie Merlot’s) and Chef Dallas McGarity (Marketplace Restaurant at Theatre Square). In addition to the scrumptious food, this fun event will feature live music by The Remedy, hayrides, inflatables, cornhole games, face painting, art and crafts, a full children’s playground (with a climbing wall), and more! This special fundraising event provides fun for the entire family, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting the children at the Home. (Did you know that 88 cents of every donation dollar goes directly to helping the kids?)

Tickets are $50 per person; $30 for students, seniors, military, police, fire and EMS workers; and FREE for kids 12 and under. Groups and families may reserve tables for eight for $350. To order tickets, call (502) 596-1025 or visit www.bigbackyardbbq.com

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Mark your calendar now so you won’t miss this one: The Food Literacy Project’s annual Field-to-Fork Dinner will be 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 14, at Marketplace Restaurant at Theatre Square. A battery of the city’s top chefs will be paired with local farmers to take advantage of the autumn harvest bounty, creating an elegant five-course dinner featuring fresh locavore meats and produce. Advance tickets, $85 per person, will go on sale in September. (Watch this space for details and a link.) Your support helps Food Literacy Project connect Louisville’s young people to healthy, sustainable food. For more about Food Literacy Project, visit foodliteracyproject.org.