Food roundup: Pancakes, cocktails and more

Developments in the world of food:

• Eat pancakes and help Haiti: Forest Hill Church will host a flapjack fundraiser starting at 7 a.m. Saturday at Applebee's, 5100 Piper Station Drive. Tickets are $8 at the door, or call 919-388-5886 and get you a short stack, sausage, milk, juice and coffee. The money goes toward medication for the church's clinic in El Seibo, Dominican Republic.


• Shake it up at the Mint: "The Science Behind the Cocktail Tour" is coming to the Mint Museum/Randolph (ie, the "old" Mint) from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 11. Speakers are Tim Laird, chief entertaining officer for Canadian Mist and "spirits scientist" Steve Hughes. Tickets are $10 for museum members and $15 for nonmembers; it's only to people over age 21, of course. Proceeds benefit the Mint. Reservations are suggested. Go to http://www.mintmuseum.org/ or call Elizabeth Isenhour at 704-337-2009.


• Ballantyne has got meat: Fans of the Waxhaw butcher and deli What's Your Beef (and excellent butcher Vic Giroux) should know the shop has moved to a new location, 14021 Conlan Circle in Ballantyne. If you get as lost in Balli Hi as I do, it's in Ballantyne Quad, neat Ballantyne Commons and John J. Delaney.


• Where does he find the time: Bobby Flay is now a contributing editor to Parade magazine, which comes in your Sunday Observer. He'll write (or his name will be on the article - raise your hand if you really think celebrity chefs write their own stuff) a monthly article called "Cook It!" It debuts Jan. 31 with a Cuban-themed Super Bowl menu.