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The 2015 James Beard Best Award Finalists are in and Best Chef of the Northwest contenders from Seattle and Washington state are Renee Erickson at The Whale Wins, Blaine Wetzel of The Willows Inn on Lummi Island and Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi of Joule. They are up against two Portland finalists.

Let the Easter celebration continue with dinner at Ericka Burke’s Volunteer Park Cafe. If brunch is your thing then you can hit the spot from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as usual. Then, the evening continues from 6 p.m. forward with a Sunday Supper featuring five courses including Deviled Eggs, Herbaceous Chicken and Carrot-Coconut Cake. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the cafe at 206.328.3155.

If you need a drink these days and wine is your thing then you might want to check out Maryhill Winery which was just bestowed the honor of Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year by Wine Press Northwest. Located in the Eastern Columbia River Gorge, Maryhill produces varietals such as Tempranillo, Malbec, Sangiovese and Cab Franc along with the standards. So, now you have a reason to make the trek out to the Gorge and check out Mt. Hood.

If you like eating small animals as much as I do then you’ll be excited about the upcoming suckling pig dinner at Tavolata on Sunday, April 5th. The family-style dinner starts at 6 p.m. and for $65 you’ll get your fair share of an impressive 15 different dishes including the aforementioned porcine star of the show. Reservations are required and you can call 206.838.8008 to reserve your spot.