Seasonal News


Are the holidays too hectic? Here’s a bit of advice for navigating Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year.
When a busy schedule makes a made-from-scratch Thanksgiving menu impossible, let Season to Taste (1650 Park St., 510-522-3663) in the Alameda Marketplace lend a hand. Owner/chef Lynn Stynne and her staff cook up turkey dinners with savory sides like stuffing and mashed potatoes.
    For a tempting taste sensation, not to mention a Christmastime treat, check out Speisekammer (2424 Lincoln Ave., 510-522-1300), which adds duck and quail to the fall menu. For a hearty holiday meal, this German restaurant is just the spot, so start a new Christmas Eve tradition (closed Christmas day).
    And resolve now, for the New Year, to shop locally for seasonal and specialty produce. Dan “The Produce Man” Avakian, who writes about fresh produce for Alameda Magazine, makes it simple: He’s the new owner of Dan’s Fresh Produce (2300 Central Ave., 510-523-1777). Avakian’s life as a produce vendor comes full circle with his purchase of the open-air market (formerly Paul’s Produce) where, at the age of 15, Avakian launched his fruit-and-vegetable career. Avakian plans to scour small local farms, Bay Area wholesale produce markets and worldwide growers for their freshest supplies.                                                    
                                                       —Laurie Zerga