Gastown’s Di Beppe is celebrating the ‘Festa della Polenta’ for its fifth year, showcasing the versatile Italian culinary staple with a special multi-course ticketed dinner for one night only on Thursday, March 16.

The family-style feast pays homage to a centuries-old Tuscan tradition when members of the nobility offered polenta to hungry townspeople to help fight a famine sweeping through the region. The celebration still takes place across Italy to this day, drawing friends and family around the table to enjoy a variety of dishes made with humble cornmeal.

Guests will be welcomed to the ‘Festa’ with a celebratory beverage – their choice of spritz (Aperol or Cynar); glass of Prosecco; Oddbird non-alcoholic Prosecco; or Di Beppe’s signature Tiny Bubbles Spritz – to be sipped with the first course, a snack of crispy polenta to begin the meal.

Following the antipasti course, guests will be awed by the main event — atop communal tables, piping-hot pots of polenta are poured ‘sulla spianatoia’ (on a wooden board) and topped off with tantalizing accompaniments such as tender osso buco with bone marrow, roast chicken in a creamy sauce, and roasted winter vegetables and parmesan. The dinner ends on a sweet note with a dolci course of polenta cake with raspberry sauce and guests are welcome to linger over a digestivo and conversation in Di Beppe’s caffè.

There are two seatings available at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., with 38 highly coveted spots available at each seating. Priced at $95 per person (plus tax and gratuity), tickets can be purchased in advance online (5:30 p.m. seating and 8 p.m. seating). Suggested Northern Italian wines will be available to complement each course, available by the glass, half-litre, or bottle.

Get tickets here.