The weekend of April 26-28th promises much for foodies on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

• April 24th through 27th (mostly Saturday and Sunday), the St. Michael's Food and Wine Festival will be held on the grounds of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Book signings, cooking demonstrations from distinguished chefs on both sides of the Bay, even from both sides of the Atlantic. Wine tastings, and guest chef dinners throughout Talbot County on Friday and Saturday nights. A weekend ticket is $130. For tickets and details, check out www.stmichaelsfoodandwinefestival.com.

• Not full? On Sunday, April 27th, Chestertown will be having its first Taste of the Town, where 15 local chefs will vie for votes to be "the best Taste of Chestertown." Tickets are $10, and benefit downtown Chestertown and the Community Food Pantry. Their website? www.tasteofchestertown.com

 Pick your "poisson," folks.

A wonderful weekend dinner recently — friends of ours engaged Glenn May, late of the Kennedyville Inn, to cook a private dinner for six, in celebration of St. Brigid’s Day. (The patron saint of dairy farms.) Awesome, as you might expect, especially supplemented by our friends' fine wines. Menu:

• Veal Meatballs with a cilantro sauce
  
• White bean hummus and crostini
• Chestnut soup, garnished with apple and gorgonzola
  
• Ricotta Ravioli with braised veal neck ragu. Rolled and filled right there, I saw it myself!
• Cast iron veal chop with mushrooms and caramelized pearl onions in a watercress cream sauce
  
• Sunken chocolate cake with blood orange and burnt caramel sauce, whipped cream
  

Was it strange having someone cook for us and being served outside of a restaurant environment?  A little. But as one Silicon Valley tycoon said of his immense new yacht, “It’s amazing how quickly you can get used to it.”  And especially fun to actually watch the master cook at work. There’s just something different about it.

Elegant, lovely, and full of laughs as we yakked it up with Glenn and our hosts.  Thanks a bunch, everybody. And if you’re looking for something really special for your dinner crowd, this is it. Glenn's doing occasional cooking lessons, private dinners and some catering. You can reach him at 410-348-5041

In a somewhat belated move before the Maryland Primary on Tuesday, our editorial board at Chesapeake Foodie throws its weight behind the Mighty Ted Kennedy as our candidate of choice.

Who else more appreciates the inestimable value of good food and drink?  Obama? Please. I've seen him in person and when he turns sideways, he disappears. Hillary and McCain? I doubt food or drink is at the top of their agenda. Huckabee? He lost 100 lbs., for heaven's sake. And he's proud of it! 

Do you think Ted would stand in the way of approving raw milk cheese production in Maryland? Or interstate wine shipping? Or for one minute put up with the hoops that our local farmers jump through for organic designation? Or even allow our treasured crabs to be threatened? I think not! (And obviously, he enjoys sailing.)

What's more, Kennedy's enjoying his new role on the campaign trail for Obama, and having the time of his life, reportedly even offering to arm-wrestle his nephew-in-law Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yep, this big man is the one for us.

An email arrived in the Chesapeake Foodie mailbox -- a major event in itself, considering that it's  been acting up -- from a new name to me. Ivy Brand, a certified organic farm south of Annapolis in Edgewater, Maryland, offers a CSA (community supported agriculture) program adn wanted to let Chesapeake foodies know about it.

If you're not familiar with how a CSA works, the farm has a superb description. And just to treat yourself, take a tour around the site. it has to be one of the prettiest I've seen in a long time. Suddenly, nosing out of the browns and grays of winter, there's the promise of fresh greens and spring berries, from people committed to good food. Better than a seed catalog, and that's saying quite a bit.