For your mingling pleasure, five local news items to get today’s culinary conversations started:

1.Tonight’s the world premiere of Bagels, a student production from Nova (no pun intended) High School. According to playwright and high school sophomore Amelia Miller, the play tells the tragic tale of a bagel baker who dies after eating a bagel with cranberries, and his children’s struggles to keep his business going despite their understandable fear of bagelry. The plot was crafted in a downtown bagel shop, but Miller concedes Seattle bagels “are not the best.” Einstein Bros Bagels is donating the prop bagels. Bagels plays at the Freehold Theater, 2222 2nd Ave., tonight and tomorrow night at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., and at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is a suggested $10 donation.

2. Seattle restaurants are getting in the Derby spirit: Pinky’s is serving up its Thoroughbred, a Maker’s Mark pulled pork sandwich, on Saturday, and Daniel’s Broiler in Bellevue is hosting a party from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. For $49, guests get a commemorative cup and access to a buffet of salads, carved steak and cheese. Derby attire is requested.3. Farmer’s market season began in earnest yesterday with the return of the popular Columbia City Wednesday market. The Seattle Times’ Rebekah Denn has assembled a great round-up of opening dates and new vendors worth seeking out.4. Need a job? If you can pull an espresso, mix a martini or work a Micros monitor, check out PoachedJobs’ restaurant hiring fair at the Palace Ballroom on May 20. Representatives from restaurants including those owned by Tom Douglas, McCracken/Tough, Scott Staples and Renee Erickson will be on hand to collect resumes and talk about potential openings. The event runs from 4 p.m.-6 p.m.5. A poster on Chowhound shared the news that City Kitchen has closed after 25 years in business. The cookware shop will briefly re-open in mid-May for a closing sale.