Last minute Mother's Day picks and cheers to Whiskey Week(s)

Hello Nashville! Mackensy Lunsford here with your weekly food news. It's going to be a hot one out there, and I hope you have cold drinks in your future.

Speaking of that, Tennessee Whiskey Week is about to roll through the state, courtesy of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail . This weekend, I'm headed east to Chattanooga to join in on some of the earliest festivities. I'm hitting Knoxville later this month, then it's back to Middle Tennessee to catch some Clarksville and Nashville events. Later, I'll head to Memphis to follow a few whiskey-related stories there. I'll report back! Have any travel tips for me? Get at me at mlunsford@tennessean.com .

Meanwhile, here's a good list of some of what you can catch here and throughout the state , in what will be an entire month of rolling events. And it's not only about whiskey. There will be other spirits too, including Tennessee-made fernet, gin and agave spirits. It's a good way to learn about a burgeoning state industry. Take a look at some of our Tennessee whiskey coverage below.

• Innovative distillers make a mark on a spirit with deep traditions
• Why the founding father of Tennessee whiskey isn't who you think it is
• Tennessee whiskey: George Dickel unveils new entry to award-winning bottled in bond series
• Women in whiskey: What to know about 9 essential Tennessee whiskey stars past and present
• Try these Nashville bars with some of the rarest bottles, biggest whiskey selections
• What is bottled in bond? Why an 1897 law should still matter to whiskey fans
• Industry veterans celebrate great outdoors with unique whiskey

We've got more than whiskey news on the food front. Here is some of what's been going on:

• Mother's Day meals are often synonymous with pink decor, photos of teacups and marketing calls to "pamper mom." But that message doesn't speak to every mom — I know because I am one. I'd like a few things for Mother's Day on May 12 and tea isn't one of them. Here are some of my Mother's Day restaurant picks .
• Frank Platt, a staple in the Nashville barbecue community, died Monday in Memphis following a shooting four blocks from the home he grew up in, on the 3000 block of Coleman Road in the Raleigh community. Read more here .
• After the death of marathon runner Joey Fecci, witnesses question emergency response time. Fecci, 26, a rising local chef, collapsed in East Nashville’s Shelby Park between the 22- and 23-mile marker in the St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Series Nashville Marathon on Saturday morning. Read more here .
• In lighter news, a new Italian restaurant — DeLuca — has opened in the former Porta Via restaurant space off White Bridge Road, the latest of several Italian fine-dining spots to open in Nashville in the past five years. Read more here .

That's it for now. I'll be back next week with more!

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Last minute Mother's Day picks and cheers to Whiskey Week(s)