Today, tour seven amazing kitchens, enjoy samples of fine local food and drink, and support our schools at the same time — at the fifth annual Hidden Kitchens of Portsmouth Tour sponsored by the Portsmouth Public Education Foundation. Tickets are available today from 11-5 at Clements Market.

For just $25, you'll be able to visit seven of our town's most beautiful and well-designed kitchens, while enjoying snacks and beverages from more than a dozen local restaurants and shops. You can pick up your tickets and a map for this self-guided tour, then drop in anytime between 11am and 7pm.

If you've done the Kitchen Tour in the past, rest assured, you'll see -- and taste -- some new surprises. And if you're a first-timer, this is a really fun opportunity to see some of Portsmouth's most beautiful hearths and homes (and maybe pick up a few design ideas!)

And ticket sales benefit the Portsmouth Public Education Foundation, (PPEF), which each year gives out over $10,000 in competitive grants to teachers in our public schools for innovative classroom projects. If you can't make the Kitchen Tour, please consider a donation. You can find out more about the PPEF at the web site or Facebook page.

Full disclosure: I serve on the PPEF board.