It is gratitude month and we here at The Three Tomatoes, San Francisco are grateful for all of you who faithfully absorb our information to entertain and educate our fellow tomatoes on all the happenings. We have discovered so much cool art in little known places, along with the 100^th celebration of the Legion of Honor of course. Then there are the oh so clever food and art pairings we have uncovered. Shopping season is here and we have one special jewelry store to share with you. Glide’s annual holiday event is coming up and signups are now open to volunteer for them this season. Enjoy all things pumpkin spice!

Nov. 9. Happy Birthday Legion of Honor

L: No. 53: Front Elevation, 1923. Legion Construction Album, FAMSF Archives. Photo attrib. to Gabriel Moulin. R: Legion of Honor, 2020. Photo by Gary Sexton. Image design by Robin Everrett

Join in the fun to wish The Legion of Honor a Happy 100^th birthday. The entire day will be filled with music, dance, art and of course cake to honor this iconic museum’s Centennial Anniversary. There will be a delightful performance by the San Francisco Ballet School including an organ concert. The celebration will also feature a sweet feast with Cake Picnic, and limited edition screenprints with ARTivate. This day also marks the launch of their new curatorial series “A Closer Look,” and special sessions of sketching in the galleries.  LEGION OF HONOR

Nov. 13. Holiday Jam

It’s that time of year again—the GLIDE Annual Holiday Jam is back, and it’s set to be one of the most stirring and soulful concerts of the season! Sure to be an unforgettable night of music, celebration, and love on Wednesday, November 13th, at 5:30 p.m. at The Masonic. Performances by Oakland’s R&B legend Lenny Williams from Tower of Power, the 2024 NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner The Philharmonik, and singer/songwriter and former GLIDE Ensemble director Vernon Bush. They’ll be performing alongside American singer, songwriter, and former lead singer of the American R&B group Timex Social Club, Michael Marshall and the nationally renowned GLIDE Ensemble and the Change Band, led by Zoe Ellis. This year’s theme, “The Love Agenda: A Tenderloin Legacy,” will weave through each artist, highlighting the power of love as a movement toward justice. Should you wish to volunteer over the holidays, sign ups are now open. They fill up quickly!  GLIDE HOLIDAY JAM

The New Home of SF’s Institute of Contemporary Art

Bank of America’s former Financial District flagship has reawakened from its slumber, its original trappings of commerce replaced by those of creativity. The Cube, a 78,000-square foot, five-story space on the corner of California and Montgomery, is now the home of San Francisco’s Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA SF). This isn’t like our city’s other art museums. It’s more nimble, able to turn on a dime to respond to a cultural moment. There’s no permanent collection to consider, just the experimental, boundary-piercing work of artists from around the world—work to which public access is never restricted by admissions fees.

ICA SF’s inaugural show features three very different collections. Riverbend is the first institutional show for SF-based Iraqi-American Maryam Yousif. Inspired by the anonymous blog of a young woman in Baghdad during the American occupation in 2003.

In Spotlight: Kathleen Ryan, Ryan confronts American consumerism with monumental sculptures that recast decaying fruit into gem-encrusted symbols of rotting excess. In her largest piece, Screwdriver, she uses salvaged auto parts and a patio umbrella to construct an oversized cocktail garnish that confronts the illusory qualities of American culture.  icasf.org.

Food and Arts Events Co-Mingled

Innovation and creativity are hallmarks of San Francisco’s food and arts scenes. But while the two genres have traditionally been presented independently, with food and art separated into distinct lanes, a new wave of collaboration is afoot. Here we share some of the more creative partnering and events coming up that celebrate the genres of food and art.

“Sister, Mother, Crone” is a pop-up within the greater Midway complex near 3^rd Street.  Their fall pop up  will run on selected Fridays and Saturdays through November 16th! Like, Love, Lust and Luck are the menu breakdowns and the creative cuisine is mouth watering for vegans and omnivores alike.  The fare is weird and wonderful from Chef Ollie and team and described thusly – “Join us as we crave the past, savor the present, and dream of the future with Sister, Mother, Crone. Expect whimsical, family-style plates unique in flavor and a full cocktail bar by a fabulous female mixologist, that can be enjoyed on its own and in concert with a meal. SISTER, MOTHER, CRONE

Saint Joseph’s Arts Society, founded by Ken Fulk in 2018, was established to celebrate arts and culture in all forms in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. The Foundation presents live performances and curated exhibitions of art from all disciplines, innovative culinary offerings, collaborations with local arts organizations, transportive celebrations and access to local thought leaders and cultural producers. With both in-person and virtual programming available to the public and memberships starting at $50, the goal of Saint Joseph’s Arts Foundation is to offer inspiration, support for working artists and a platform for creative expression that encourages a positive shift in our cultural landscape.

Coming up on November 18^th is a happy hour and live performance by Grammy Winning, Bay Area founded 12 – part male choir, Chanticleer. Known around the world as “an orchestra of voices”, Chanticleer will perform selections from their newest album that is a song cycle on ecological responsibility told from the point of view of the land. The songs within the sonic collection takes a first-person view of nature, ascribing human qualities and feelings to elements of the landscape: water, trees, mountains, rivers, etc. ST.JOSEPH’S ART SOCIETY

Four One Nine is yet another space in SF that offers unique events combining food and art. Join Last Supper Society and Jonathan Carver Moore on Saturday November 16th for a 6-course sensory dining experience in dialogue with VERSUS. Balance In Conflict will take place among the group exhibition Versus by Jonathan Carver Moore at Four One Nine. Versus explores sports’ role in our lives today and the unseen psychological aspects of winning, losing, and competing on athletes, fans, and spectators alike. Each dish delves into the core of competition and competing elements — hot vs. cold, soft vs. crunchy, sweet vs. bitter — transforming the table into an arena where opposing textures, temperatures, and flavors collide.

 Conflict, A Culinary Exploration Of Competition

Another unique happening at Four One Nine celebrates the season for Friendsgivings, and festive fêtes. Time to impress yourself and others with your table design skills after @MisterLeeDesigns shows you how to become a party pleaser during Hands On: Tablescapes. Play with your food as you create with foliage sculptures, and take home their centerpiece that will set the tone as you set your table. All materials and tools will be provided. Inspirational libations will help get your creative juices flowing. November 20^th – 6-8 p.m. GET THE DETAILS.

Tablescapes

Brooklyn Comes to Pacific Heights

Pacific Heights welcomes a delicious slice of Brooklyn to its retail landscape. Catbird, the cult-fave jewelry brand known for its teensy, demi-fine jewelry, celebrated its first Northern Cali store with lots of treats last month. And now you can treat yourself or friends to  the trio of exclusive San Francisco charms that had mouths watering. Mind you, deciding between the trolley car, sourdough toast (with a pat of butter), and a Karl nameplate is no easy task. As with 95 percent of the brand’s jewelry, the adorable charms are crafted of recycled 14k gold.

The shop itself has a modern Alice in Wonderland-like feel, with pops of yellow, gingham lampshades, antique chandeliers, and a bold, black-and-white-tile floor. The only rabbit hole one’s likely to go down, though, is being overwhelmed by the options; hundreds of bracelets, earrings, necklaces, charms, and rings beckon from the glass displays that line the space. Permanent jewelry—getting zapped in CB lingo—wedding bands and engagement rings, and non-sparkly goodies (lip balms, notebooks, and candles) are also part of the allure. Happy hunting. catbird.com