By David Landis, The Gay Gourmet–
“Just hear those sleigh bells jingling,
Ring ting tingling too
Come on, it’s lovely weather
For a sleigh ride together with you”
—”Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson
It’s that time of year again. It might not be snowing or jingling, but the holidays are right around the corner. And The Gay Gourmet is here to help you with foodie gift ideas, specials, and promotions—all to help you celebrate Holiday 2024 in culinary style.
For those in the South Bay, Visit San Jose is launching A Very San Jose Holiday. The citywide campaign includes numerous fun-filled attractions and promotions, including: the downtown Winter Wonderland, with a 60-foot Ferris wheel, and a new winter gift market along Paseo de San Antonio; Christmas in the Park, which transforms Plaza de Cesar Chavez with 40+ animated displays, a towering community giving tree, and festive nightly entertainment; Downtown Ice, a skating rink set amid the picturesque Circle of Palms Plaza; and seasonal performances of A Christmas Carol at the Montgomery Theater, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis at the Center for the Performing Arts, and the San Jose Nutcracker at the California Theatre. And, don’t miss Miracle on 1st, San Jose’s holiday pop-up bar at Paper Plane.
You can embark on a journey through California’s sun-soaked vineyards with a beautifully illustrated puzzle from Water & Wines. Featuring the state’s renowned wine regions, such as Napa Valley, Sonoma County, and Paso Robles, you’ll explore the thriving Californian wine industry and its flagship grape varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay. Water & Wines plants one tree for every puzzle sold and donates to improve global access to safe drinking water.
Antonina’s Gluten-Free Bakery offers gluten-free cakes that are both decadent and delicious, making them perfect for the holiday season, or just to treat yourself. The single-layer gluten-free cakes come in an elegant and beautiful jewel box container. Available in two flavors, either chocolate or vanilla, the gluten-free cakes feature real buttercream frosting with a piped trim and topped with chocolate decorations.
Drizzle on the holiday spirit with Sweet Chaos, whose drizzled popcorn is the perfect mix of your favorite sweet & salty snacks. Their seasonal popped corns include hot cocoa, black & white sugar cookie, iced gingerbread, and peppermint crunch. Sweet Chaos Drizzles are gluten free, made with non-GMO popcorn, and have no artificial colors or flavors. Their mouthwatering popcorn is popped in coconut oil, with just the right amount of cane sugar and sea salt.
Looking for the perfect holiday gift for brunch lovers? Grab an Early to Rise ceramic mug from the newish Nopa restaurant, handmade with love by West Oakland ceramicist Katie Gibbs. Each classic diner-style mug is meticulously crafted over the span of a month, giving it that special, nostalgic touch. Sip your coffee from one of these custom-made mugs, and you’ll swear your brew tastes better—because it’s not just a cup; it’s a work of art that brings warmth to your morning! Perfect for cozying up during the holidays or gifting a little slice of handmade goodness. You can also throw in a package of this restaurant’s house-cured & smoked thick-cut bacon, and a bag of Signal coffee beans for a complete breakfast-centric gift.
The Public Market Emeryville invites dog owners and their furry friends to The Public Barket (Holiday Edition) to enjoy an afternoon of shopping a curated selection of dog-focused goodies. These pet-friendly gifts include homemade dog treats, bandanas, and leashes from local makers and artists who have a passion and love for dogs. Fun activities include a live dog portrait drawing from Artist Sophie Diao (only available on Saturday, December 7) and a mini photoshoot session with dog portrait photographer, Ellen Shershow Photography (only available on Sunday, December 8). Available spots for the dog-portrait drawing and mini photoshoot sessions are limited and first-come first-serve. Berkeley Humane will be hosting an adoption booth to help provide a loving home for some of their pups in time for the holidays. The event is free to attend for the public.
Eataly in San Jose has a mouthwatering panettone collection for 2024. Produced in one of Italy’s finest artisan bakeries, Eataly’s panettoni are the ultimate holiday desserts. The collection includes four flavors that are made with the highest quality ingredients, perfect to gift or to simply just enjoy the flawless Italian dessert with loved ones. The flavors include: classic, pear and dark chocolate, white chocolate and pistachio, and limoncello. There’s also the classic panettone packaged in Eataly’s iconic red tin, leavened with sourdough and enriched with raisins, candied orange, and bourbon vanilla.
LGBTQ-owned Equator Coffees has a new holiday blend collection, curated to capture the spirit of community. 5% of all sales will directly support Equator’s partners at Suke Quto, a coffee farm in Ethiopia’s Guji region with beans from there featured in this blend. Funds support the Suke Quto School Project, which helps local schools by providing much-needed desks for students. Equator’s holiday treats include: the brand’s special holiday blend coffee; a holiday mug; a red bag ornament; a “Mill Valley Mornings” candle with hints of redwoods, spice, sea salt, and citrus; tiger socks; and the TCHO dirty chai chocolate bar.
David Titmuss’ The Big Gay Cocktail Guide combines humor, history, and the art of mixology with a unique gay-rating system, How Gay Is Your Cocktail? It categorizes cocktails from “Super Straight” (1/5) to “Absolutely Fabulous” (5/5). Each rating, such as “Sassy Not Flashy” (4/5) and “Ritzy Rebel” (3/5), is designed to spark conversation and perhaps even a playful debate among friends. The Big Gay Cocktail Guide also includes: online 1-minute “how-to” videos, calorie counts, alcohol strength, and a story about each cocktail’s origins.
One of the magical wonders of the holidays is enjoying how cultures globally celebrate the season. European Deli is a one-stop gourmet destination for delicious specialties from Germany and nearby countries and imports Lebkuchen-Schmidt (gingerbread cookies and pastries) fresh from Deutschland.
New York Times bestselling author Danielle Walker’s newest cookbook, Make It Easy, makes meal-prep simple and weeknight dinners less stressful. Danielle shares how to eat healthfully without spending hours in the kitchen. With delicious recipes like enchilada-stuffed sweet potatoes, sweet and spicy chicken stir-fry, “Breakfast-for-Dinner” sheet-pan pancakes and bacon, and magic meatball pasta, Danielle has created easy dinnertime solutions for home cooks, hoping to relieve mental load, reduce dinnertime stress, and ease decision fatigue.
ekuBox has partnered with Le Creuset to create luxe holiday gift boxes for the foodie in your life. The Gourmet Kitchen Essentials box is the perfect hostess gift for those who appreciate the finer elements of cooking. Included are essentials such as a Le Creuset spoon rest and spatula, olive wood spoon, Turkish Fueta kitchen towel, olive wood salt cellar, Fleur de Sel sea salt, and YiaYia and Friends gourmet extra virgin olive oil from Greece.
Let’s Glow SF is coming back to downtown San Francisco, thanks to the Downtown SF Partnership. This fourth annual event takes place from December 6–15. This year, the largest holiday projection mapping show in the U.S. is expanding even further. The free, 10-night outdoor event will feature animated light shows on even more iconic San Francisco buildings, including the Ferry Building and the top of Salesforce Tower, visible throughout the Bay Area. With artwork from 13 local and internationally renowned artists, Let’s Glow SF offers an immersive holiday experience. Attendees can enjoy festive-themed drinks (including spiced cider, hot cocoa, and autumn spritz cocktails), bites, and branded merchandise from participating retailers, while experiencing the magic of cutting-edge projections, lasers, and large-scale visuals that transform the city into a vibrant, illuminated wonderland.
Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group’s Winter Wonderland at The Vault Garden returns for the 5th year in a row, with more festive decor, new all-electric heating, and more themed cocktails created to ensure a fun and festive holiday celebration. With a fully tented, expansive outdoor space, all-new lounge seating, and outdoor bar, Winter Wonderland is this season’s must-visit destination for all things holiday. Sip on seasonally-inspired, festive cocktails, and nibble on menu favorites as you enjoy the unparalleled views of the legendary 555 California Christmas tree at San Francisco’s Bank of America Plaza.
On New Year’s Eve, guests of Anomaly SF can plan to ring in 2025 with Chef Mike Lanham’s exciting multi-course dining experience with lots of tastes, textures, and presentations—all with a bit of Southern-inspiration. A special sparkling wine pairing will be offered plus a few surprise presentations, including caviar supplements. With a reasonably priced tasting menu that accommodates all palates, it is a fine dining experience to kick off the New Year that feels like a splurge but doesn’t break the bank.
If you’re celebrating Hanukkah, One Market has you covered with a three-course dinner that includes traditional matzo ball soup, 12-hour smoked beef brisket, and sufganiyot—a beloved jelly-filled doughnut.
The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco’s beloved Teddy Bear Tea returns for children ages 2–11, offering an enchanting afternoon of holiday fun. Each child will receive a teddy bear of their very own while they enjoy lively entertainment from animated elves, whimsical photo opportunities, and more seasonal magic. Families can indulge in hot chocolate, scones, teddy bear-themed treats, and sandwiches. Guests are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to donate to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals.
Share the gift of aloha with Honolulu Cookie Company’s 2024 Holiday Collection. This year’s assortment features playful designs from Hawaiʻi artist and designer, Jana Lam. Inspired by a tropical holiday, the designs feature bold splashes of color and motifs that capture the fun and beauty of the islands, adding a vibrant touch to every holiday. This collection has various sizes and styles of boxes, tins, and ornaments, filled with delicious holiday flavors accompanied by some of their classic cookies. According to the company, “You’ll fa la la in love with the new Holiday Confetti flavor for the holiday season. The joyful sprinkles of holiday confetti add the perfect dash of sweetness to the classic shortbread macadamia cookie. Savor the return of some of the popular, seasonal holiday classics—peppermint macadamia, dark chocolate peppermint macadamia and white chocolate ginger spice.”
Castro favorite and lesbian-owned Kokak Chocolates has two new holiday selections this year. The Secret Santa collection features classic dark chocolate truffle flavors with a tropical twist, featuring kalamansi alongside apple spice, sea salt caramel, blueberry, and raspberry. The Noche Buena Chocolate collection is a tribute to Kokak’s Filipino heritage. It features not just Filipino fruits and desserts, but also feast-worthy dishes usually served at every Filipino table during the holidays. These include new recipes that you don’t typically see in chocolate truffles, bars, and confections—like kare-kare and adobo.
Join the Palace Hotel San Francisco for a festive and fun gingerbread house-making workshop at the Pied Piper, designed exclusively for adults. Led by the hotel’s talented pastry chef, this workshop will allow guests to learn the art of crafting the perfect gingerbread house while enjoying a glass of wine, or warm mulled wine, for something with a holiday twist. Gather your friends, get creative, and let your imagination (and frosting) run wild. It’s a merry way to celebrate the season, with plenty of laughs and, of course, a masterpiece to take home—if it survives the night.
Sausalito Liquor Company’s new Unsinkable Chocolate Liqueur is made with TCHO Chocolate. Available online, it’s the perfect ingredient for your holiday concoctions. You can mix it into a wicked chocolate martini: add a whisper of chocolate to your Old Fashioned for a rich new layer of flavor; drizzle into your finest baked goods (decadent brownies, a chocolate bread pudding, a splash in your whipped cream topping); or pop a glug into your hot chocolate.
The 32nd Annual Kung Pao Kosher Comedy: Jewish Comedy takes place Tuesday, December 24, through Thursday, December 26, 2024, with two shows a day, in-person at the Imperial Palace Restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown and live-streamed on YouTube Live. The comedian lineup includes: Canadian Ophira Eisenberg (NPR’s Ask Me Another), British Matt Kirshen (Late Show With Jimmy Fallon), Alaskan Becky Braunstein (Unprotected Sets), and Lisa Geduldig (Kung Pao Producer and emcee). The menu includes: Kung Pao chicken, sweet and sour flounder filet, Kosher walnut prawns, and fortune cookies with Yiddish proverbs. Partial proceeds benefit Shalom Bayit and the Chinatown YMCA food pantry.
And, finally, courtesy of chef Dustin Valette of The Matheson and Valette in Healdsburg, is a suggestion for a delicious holiday treat: Chocolate Chip Rolo Cookies. A recipe similar to his family’s favorite for these cookies—highlighting classic Rolo candies—is at https://bit.ly/3ViW2oL
Visit San Jose: https://www.sanjose.org/
Water & Wines: https://us.waterandwines.com/
Antonina’s Gluten-Free Bakery: https://tinyurl.com/29xh3wph
Sweet Chaos Drizzles: https://sweetchaos.com/
Early To Rise: https://www.earlytorisesf.com/
The Public Market Emeryville: https://tinyurl.com/3c7jvckt
Equator Coffees: https://www.equatorcoffees.com/
The Big Gay Cocktail Guide: https://tinyurl.com/yc228n3n
European Deli: https://europeandeli.com/
Danielle Walker’s Make It Easy: https://tinyurl.com/4fcp95bk
ekuBox: https://ekubox.com/
Let’s Glow SF: https://tinyurl.com/bdd64ry2
The Vault Garden: https://www.vaultgarden.com/
The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco: https://tinyurl.com/ntdnd9rp
Honolulu Cookie Company: https://www.honolulucookie.com/
Kokak Chocolates: https://www.kokakchocolates.com/
The Palace Hotel San Francisco: https://www.sfpalace.com/
Sausalito Liquor Company: https://www.sausalitoliquor.com/
Kung Pao Kosher Comedy: https://www.koshercomedy.com/
The Matheson: https://www.thematheson.com/
Valette: https://www.valettehealdsburg.com/
Anomaly SF: https://anomalysf.com/
One Market: https://onemarket.com/
Eataly panettone: https://tinyurl.com/3wvbtbz5
David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a retired PR maven. Follow him on Instagram @GayGourmetSF or email him at: davidlandissf@gmail.com Or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com
The Gay Gourmet
Published on December 5, 2024
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