You couldn’t have picked a worse week to start a hunger strike. For the second year the Downtown Neighborhood Association sponsors a blitzkrieg of everything food-related with its Broad Appetit festival. Sample signature dishes from more than 50 local restaurants — including fine dining, casual eats, fresh produce, cheeses, breads and wines — and, like last year, roasted insects cooked to the specifications of a madman. Anyone with a fork gets an opportunity to be an honorary food critic and find the area’s best new chefs. Broad Appetit is Sunday, June 7, noon-5 p.m. in the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of West Broad Street. Each sample costs $3 and proceeds benefit Meals on Wheels and the Central Virginia Food Bank. Visit www.broadappetit.com. — Mike Hilleary
