Starry, starry night

Local chefs are warming up their ovens for “Dinner Beneath the Stars,” the 10th annual Union Trust Co. Celebrity Chefs Gala at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Ellsworth. Donna Gormley, Steve McKay, Ric Tyler and Wayne Harvey of WLBZ-TV Channel 2 will be hosts of the event, which takes place Saturday, April 5. The event starts with an hors d’oeuvre feast from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., which will be followed by a theme dinner inspired by classic movies – “On the Waterfront,” for example, will include a raw bar and ice sculpture. A dance to the music of Big Dee will follow. Tickets cost $60 per person, which benefits the Breast Clinic Endowment Fund of Maine Coast Memorial Hospital, and are available by calling 664-5337.

Here’s to St. Patrick’s Day

Well, it’s not Guinness, but it’s better than dyed green beer. Jameson’s Irish Gimlet will leave Irish eyes smiling this St. Patrick’s Day. To make the cocktail, combine 4 ounces Jameson Irish Whiskey, 1 ounce blue Curacao, and 1 ounce lime juice in an ice-filled shaker. Shake, strain and serve straight up in a martini glass. Garnish with a lemon

peel or a wedge of lime.

Sugar shack

Looking for a sweet way to spend an

afternoon? Check out the “sucrerie” at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 20. The maple sugar camp is open to the public and includes an Acadian buffet of patates fricasses, soupe-aux-pois, chicken stew, ployes, cretons, beans, salade au jardin, molasses cookies and pudding chaumeur, all for $3.75 per person. The event also will include maple sugar making demonstrations, a traditional maple taffy pull and live entertainment. For information, call 834-7557.