Flavor up your week with these 6 great food events: Restaurant week, olive oil, chocolate

Happy Monday! You pigged out with pizza and junk food this weekend, now it's time to replenish yourself with some great food specials going on this week.

Now in its second day, The Philly Chef Conference continues on Monday, Jan. 12 and will focus on discussions of all things culinary. Throughout the day guests can check out live demonstrations such as "Techniques and Tools of Modern Cooking" by Shola Olunloyo of Studio Kitchen (12 p.m.), Industry talk with Michael Klein of Philly.com, Spike Mendelson of Good Stuff Eatery, Matt Rodbard of Food Republic, and Brette Warshaw of Lucky Peach (2 p.m.) , and even a menu development talk with Kevin Sbraga of Sbraga dining, Greg Vernick of Vernick restaurants, Gregg Ciprioni of Garces Group, and Rich Laundau of Vedge and V Street Food. The conference will take place at Drexel's Bossone Research Center, Mitchell Auditorium (3201 Market Street) and begins at 9:30 a.m.

Wine is always a delicious treat, especially when it's free. Avenue Kitchen (789 Lancaster Ave.) hosts an educational wine class on Monday, Jan. 12 that will not only teach you things you've never known, but will also give you complimentary tastings. This is the first of four classes and the speaker for the evening is Mike Walsh from Majestic Spirits. The tasting is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Before the anticipated Center City Restaurant Week, the suburban town of Ambler is getting things started a week early on Monday, Jan. 12th as 15 restaurants offer specials  ranging in prices from $20-35. The menu deal is offered through Monday, Jan. 19th and here are some restaurants on the list to keep in mind: Dettera Restaurant and Wine Bar, Forest and Main, Massa, and Hungry Bear Café.

The popular Indian cuisine restaurant, Tiffin is celebrating its eight-year anniversary and its eight restaurants are serving all entrée items for only $10…just kidding $8. That'd only make sense. Each of the restaurants holds the $8 special separately each day and can be found here. The deal started on Friday, Jan. 9 but continues until Friday, Jan. 16. Doors open at 11 a.m.

You passed the Monday blues, time to treat yourself. On Tuesday, Jan. 13 Chef and owner of Townsend restaurant, Townsend Wentz teams up with olive oil producer Lorenzo Caponetti for a special dinner featuring a one-time preview of Chef Townsend's restaurant set to launch later this year. The dinner will start at 6:30 p.m. and be held at Townsend (1623 East Passyunk Ave.). For $65 a person, you'll enjoy dishes such as Barnegat Bay sea scallop crudo, sautéed sweetbread piccata, roasted porchetta and more.

Go coco loco with the Academy of Natural Sciences (1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway) during One Last Shot: Beer and Chocolate Tasting. Before the limited-time "Chocolate: The Exhibition" closes its doors, beer and food advocates can learn which certain chocolates match with certain beers. Tickets are $35 and the tasting starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15.