New menu items at Jao Thai Kitchen
Chef Kunakorn “Ace” Petda, owner of Jao Thai Kitchen, recently enhanced his Melbourne restaurant’s menu with tasty new dishes, such as Kaeng hang le, a traditional and highly popular pork curry that is often served as a festive dish in northern Thailand. Petda serves the entrée in a stylish copper mini-cauldron for $18.
Other additions include Mu Ping, classic Thai street food loved for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The marinated pork skewers grilled to perfection are $12.
At market price, Jao’s Fish in the Garden features a deep-fried whole fish served authentic Asian style with vermicelli, fresh veggies and a spicy dipping sauce.
Gaeng Om is a traditional spicy herbal curry soup with mixed veggies, dill and choice of beef or pork for $18 at Jao. The clear, aromatic broth is made without coconut milk or palm sugar.
“It’s not quite curry or classic broth, but the best of both,” Petda said.
Bamboo shoot salad ($15) or sup no mai, is another traditional dish, this one from Lao/Northeastern Thailand. Typical ingredients, in addition to the bamboo shoots, include lemongrass, roasted rice powder and the leaves of the yanang vine. Several names exist for the popular dish, including soop naw mai,
Jao Thai Kitchen is at 914 W. New Haven Ave., across from the Coastal Hyundai dealership in Melbourne. For more information, visit jaothaikitchen.com or call 321-914-0708.
Café Margaux’s international beer dinner
Outstanding beers from around the world will be paired with a five-course menu during Café Margaux’s international beer dinner event for one evening at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 20.
Dinner begins with Einstock Toasted Porter from Iceland, paired with cream of Porter and Leicester soup. For the salad course, San Miguel Pale Pilsner from the Philippines accompanies a roasted garlic Caesar with pancetta and Manchego croutons. The pale golden lager, first brewed in Manila in 1890, remains an iconic brand in the Philippines.
The event moves on to Italy for a taste of the country’s classic pale lager Birra Moretti, served along with black grouper with braised fennel and brie risotto. German beer is highlighted with Tucher Helles Hefeweizin, paired with green peppercorn seared filet medallion on rye crouton, whipped Red Bliss potatoes and a double stout demi-glace.
For the cheese course, it’s the Belgian-style triple golden ale La Fin du Monde from Canada’s Unibroue Brewery, together with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Parma prosciutto.
Dinner ends with Erdinger Dunkel from Bavaria, a rich, dark wheat beer with rich flavor notes of caramel, roasted malt and nuts that makes for a perfect marriage with dark chocolate crème brulee with fresh berries and shaved white chocolate.
Cost is $110 per guest. Reservations are recommended. Café Margaux is at 220 Brevard Ave., Cocoa Village. Visit cafemargaux.com or call 321-639-8343.
Portuguese flavors at Urban Prime
On Aug. 20, Urban Prime Restaurant, 2435 Metfield Dr., Viera, will host one of its Passport Series events, this one inspired by the rich flavor profiles of Portugal.
Served alongside the regular dinner menu beginning at 4 p.m., the special event a la carte menu features dishes such as Cataplana Portuguesa and Frango Piri-Piri with suggested wine pairings.
Reservations are recommended. Call 321-499-1188.
As part of its monthly Prime Faith Tuesday event, the restaurant will also host the Discovery Life Church Worship Band from 6 to 9 p.m. The event is open to anyone interested in an evening surrounded by hope and fellowship.
Visit urbanprimefoods.com for more information on special events.
‘Java with Joe’ in Viera
Jokes about cops and donuts abound, but the wealth of safety resources Brevard County Sheriff’s Office provides seniors and their families is no laughing matter.
Joe Downs, a reserve deputy with the Sheriff’s Office, will offer a informative look at these services during “Java with Joe,” a relaxed, free event at One Senior Place, 8085 Spyglass Hill Rd., Viera..
Enjoy donuts and coffee with Downs at a Q&A at 10 a.m. on Aug. 26. Downs, who has dedicated more than a dozen years to local public safety and law enforcement-related community programs, has served as coordinator for Project Lifesaver, an electronic search-and-rescue program run by the BCSO to locate lost individuals, since 2014.
“Joe Downs is a wealth of public safety experience and information,” said One Senior Place director Angie Higgins. “This event will help seniors and their families learn more about the additional safety resources available in Brevard and put a face on the programs administered by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.”
Admission is free, but RSVP is needed. Visit oneseniorplace.com or call 321-751-6771.
Brevard Youth Chorus auditions
Brevard Youth Chorus will hold auditions for singers in grades four to 10 at 6 p.m. on Aug. 27 at Advent Lutheran Church, 7550 N. Wickham Road, Suntree.
Chorus artistic director Beth Green conducted the Florida Music Educators Association (FMEA) Southern Regional Honor Choir at Southeastern University in Lakeland in 2025 and taught elementary school music for over a decade.
She was awarded Teacher of the Year and earned the prestigious Music Demonstration School designation twice during her time as music specialist at Audubon Elementary. She has taught school, church and community choirs of all ages and currently conducts the well-known choral ensemble, the Indialantic Chamber Singers. In addition, she prepares the Riverside Chorale for the Dr. Vernon Boushell Concert Series at Riverside Presbyterian Church in Cocoa Beach. A big part of her heart is saved for the students of the Brevard Youth Chorus.
“The Brevard Youth Chorus is a wonderful outlet for talented young singers who want to learn more about music,” said Mrs. Green. “We’ll start rehearsing in September for several upcoming performances, including our holiday concerts.”
The select group of youngsters performs at venues and events throughout Brevard. During the average season, the chorus performs alongside the adult Indialantic Chamber Singers in two concerts in addition to individual performances in the community and a holiday offering at the Avenue Viera. In recent years, the group has performed with the Brevard Symphony Orchestra and Brevard Community Chorus and contributed soloists for mainstage performances at the King Center for the Performing Arts. The group will again perform on the King Center stage in April 2027, for the season finale concert of the BSO.
Membership in the nonprofit chorus is open to students in public, private, charter and home-schools. Both boys and girls are encouraged to audition, with Thursday evening rehearsals beginning Sept. 3.
For an audition appointment time, contact BrevardYouthChorus@gmail.com or call 321-610-8731.
‘Pollinator Power’
Pollinators, unsung heroes of our gardens, farms and natural ecosystems, get their day when Brevard Discovery Garden offers a program to prepare residents to participate in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census.
This free event, from 10 a.m. until noon on Aug. 19, features a presentation by Sally Scalera, UF/IFAS Brevard County extension agent, followed by a guided walk through the Brevard Discovery Garden to observe pollinator-friendly plants and practice pollinator identification skills in the field.
Attendees will learn the importance of pollinators for a healthy ecosystem and food production, how to identify common Florida pollinators, how to attract pollinators to your garden and the importance of data collected during the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, which takes place Aug. 21 and 22.
Whether you’re a gardener, nature lover, educator, student, or simply curious about the insects visiting your landscape, you’ll discover how easy it is to contribute to this important community science project.
Registration is required at eventbrite.com. Brevard Discovery Garden is at 3695 Lake Drive, Cocoa.
Do you have a community event in the works? Email toastofthecoastfloridatoday@gmail.com and tgif@floridatoday.com at least three weeks in advance.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Community notes: Best Bets for things to do in Brevard
Reporting by Maria Sonnenberg, for Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Maria Sonnenberg, for Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
