Monday morsels: meet the pizza champ, be a sommelier for a day, go halfsies

Happy Monday, people! Hope everyone had a fabulous Easter. Here are several fun things happening around the Bay Area.

For pizza lovers and kids. On Saturday, April 18th, Tony Gemignani will do a pizza tossing demo and sign his children's book, Tony and the Pizza Champions, at Books, Inc. in Alameda, 11:00 a.m. You may have seen this former world champion pizza maker and eight time world champion pizza acrobat on T.V., he's pretty entertaining. He co-owns Pyzano's Pizzeria with his brother in Castro Valley. In May, doors will open to Tony's Pizza Napoletana and International School of Pizza on Stockton Street in S.F. Housed in the same location, the school will operate during the day while the new restaurant will open at night. Tony will also appear at a booksigning at Kepler's in Menlo Park on Sunday, April 26th, 11:30 a.m.

For afficionados of the grape. A few days ago, UrbanDaddy SF covered Fifth Floor's exciting new program that allows you to become Sommelier for a Day. You get to shadow Master Sommelier Emily Wines (please, no jokes about her name) who is one of just 15 women in the country who hold this title. Sample a multitude of wines as you hone your winetasting skills. If you schedule on a weekday, you will get to meet winemakers and distributors and taste their newest releases. By night's end, you'll sit down and enjoy a meal paired with wine personally selected by Wines. Cost: $250.

Update: Wines just sent this sample weekday schedule to me:

"1:00 pm arrive and tour the restaurant, 1:30 taste through wines with vendors, 2:30 pull wines from the cellar for service, 3:00 staff wine training, 4:00 prepare tasting menu wines and taste sauces with chef, 4:30 family meal and line up with the staff to go over reservations and menu changes, 5:30 service begins, 10:00 late night dining. Typically sommeliers and managers sit down at the end of the evening to taste new dishes. Often I open a bottle of wine for everyone to try as well." Okay, I think I know what I want to do for my birthday next month!

For people who like to dine out but are watching their spending - isn't that all of us? Zinnia, which opened last October, has introduced Halfsy Hour in the bar and lounge. Get specialty cocktails, wines by the glass and premium beer half off while you enjoy chef/owner Sean O'Brien's (formerly of Myth) signature half-portion dinner items from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m, Tuesdays - Saturdays. It's located at the Jackson Square site where The Cypress Club and Scott Howard used to be.

If you know of any cool events coming up in your area that you'd like me to mention, please share them with me at !