At Thursday night’s 4th Annual Sensational Seafood event, those who like their dinner shucked will be in for a treat when chefs present a tasteable tour through the bounty of seafood harvested in and around Santa Barbara’s waters while wineries pour, offering a most convenient excuse for what would, in other circumstances, be labeled gluttony. Say it with me: “I’ve always wondered which wine pairs best with oysters.” October 18, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Ty Warner Sea Center. $60 at the door. Call 682-4711 x131.
Cities might not be the new farms (not yet, anyway), but Seattle City Councilmember Richard Conlin, who helped launch the Local Food Action Initiative and cofounded Sustainable Seattle, is doing what he can to change that (short of earmarking dollars for tractor lanes on the city’s streets). As part of the SBCC Center for Sustainability’s Cities As the Solution series, Conlin will share his insights: Meeting and greeting at the Canary (Sat., Oct. 20, 3:30-5pm); leading a food policy workshop at SBCC (Sun., Oct. 21, 2-5pm); and as the keynote speaker who, with a panel of politicians, farmers, and organizers, will present Visions of a 21st-Century Food System — Inviting Food & Agriculture Back Into Our Cities at SBCC’s Fé Bland Forum (Sun., Oct. 21, 6:30-9pm; $5).