If you're already dreaming about summertime on the Cape, we'll give you a little
more to fantasize about: the Cape Cod Life Food & Wine Festival, which runs from June 1st–4th. This four-day culinary event kicks off on Sunday afternoon, June 1st, with a Grand Tasting featuring dozens of Cape restaurants at Hyannis' Rectrix Aerodrome, where guest chefs, including Nantucket's Gabriel Frasca and Amanda Lydon (Straight Wharf) and Boston's Dante di Magistris (dante), Peter Eco (STIX, 33) and Todd Winer (Metropolitan Club) will engage in "friendly competitions"; proceeds benefit the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod and the Institute for Hospitality and Culinary Studies at Cape Cod Community College (3–6 PM; $50 per person; Barnstable Municipal Airport, Hyannis; call 508-375-4044 or purchase tickets online).
During the festival, nightly events at locations up and down the Cape include "cultural happy hours" at which restaurants like Brewster Fish House offer drinks and hors d'oeuvres at venues such as Cape Cod Museum of Natural History (4–6 PM; $15 per person, proceeds benefit the cultural venue), as well as multicourse wine dinners at Cape restaurants such as Alberto's Ristorante, Circadia Bistro, L'Alouette, Naked Oyster Bistro & Raw Bar and more (6:30 PM; prices vary). For the event schedule and ticket information, go to capecodlife.com.