It's in the hands of the capricious climate gods whether Cube Café and Marketplace's Pork 'n' Beans Rooftop Afternoon BBQ will be a hot-weather cookout or a crisp fall affair. On Saturday, October 9, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cube Foundation Garden, Cube welcomes featured guests and artisanal food producers from Northern California, Taylor Boetticher and Toponia Miller of Fatted Calf Charcuterie and Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo. There will be live music and, yup, an awful lot of meat and legumes. Cube buyer Rachael Sheridan explains, “We wanted to throw a one-of-a-kind end-of-summer BBQ that went above and beyond typical ribs and burgers.”

As for the out-of-town special guests, “We knew when it came to planning a BBQ benefit, we absolutely had to have them involved! Last summer we enjoyed a dinner cooked by Taylor and Toponia and Steve that was mind-blowing. We wanted to share their fantastic dishes with the public while simultaneously raising funds for our non-profit arm. It really just seemed like a natural combination.” Dishes planned for Saturday include grilled Fatted Calf sausages; Fatted Calf garlic-brined pork shoulder and barbecue sauce; nopales salad with Midnight black beans; collards braised with ham hocks; and ice cream sandwiches. Lemonade, craft beer and Italian wine options will help quench that raging BBQ-induced thirst. The event costs $65 per person for advance purchase, or $75 on the day of. Revenues go to the Cube Foundation, which is working to provide better food access, nutritional awareness and improving diets in underprivileged communities. Good luck to those heading over to Union Station later on. At least you'll have built a solid foundation on which to ingest all those cocktails. Cube Foundation Garden: 550 Ceres Ave., Downtown.

Also this weekend in the do-gooder food event department: California Baby hosts a gathering for the Garden School Foundation at its new eco-friendly headquarters downtown on Sunday, October 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $125 for VIP tickets, $25 for one adult and two kids under 12, $37.50 for family ticket that admits two adults and four kids under 12. The fundraiser includes cooking classes for kids, opportunities for little ones to get their hands dirty with gardening activities, organic healthy snacks, live music and more. California Baby Headquarters: 5933 Bowcroft St., Downtown.

Coming on Sunday, too, is the Savor the Season party at The Lot to raise funds for Break the Cycle's efforts to end teen dating violence. Gary Arabia of Global Cuisine and Katie Chin of Wok Star serve as honorary host chefs; other participants include Lou Amdur, Susan Feniger, Gloria Felix, Danielle Keene, and Stefan Richter. Tickets start at $100 per person, and the event goes from 6:30 to 9 p.m. (6 p.m. for VIP admission). The Lot: 1041 N. Formosa Ave., West Hollywood.

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