Step away from the wrapping and cooking, as it is time to enjoy the many holiday performances in the bay area The Secret Garden and The Millionth Production of A Christmas Carol are just two that will bring a smile to your face. Oh boy, Michael Mina and fav young tomato Ayesha Curry have joined forces for a delicious new restaurant. 12 days of chocolate, yes please – a dozen yummy events. And for something different, The SF Fashion Incubator presents a fascinating first Friday talk. Remember friends, slow down and enjoy the season!

Dec. 6-24. The Secret Garden.

One of my very favorite books as a Tomato in training was “The Secret Garden”. The Tony Award winning musical is coming to the very special venue I adore in San Francisco this month. The 42nd Street Moon theatre company presents this production December 6 – 24th in the cozy Gateway Theatre on Jackson Street. Their productions always feature amazingly talented local peeps, and I have never seen a show there where I didn’t leave saying WOW.

The creative team for this production is all female in honor and celebration of the musical’s authors as well as Frances Hodgson Burnett who wrote the novel. The message of how we move forward in life when the pain of the past is so powerful is exemplified in this magical musical. A perfect holiday treat for those of us of all ages!  Get the details.

Now-Dec. 17. The Millionth Production of A Christmas Carol

Once again, offering less-than-traditional holiday fare, Mountain View’s Pear Theatre celebrates the season with a satire, written and directed by James Kopp. In The Millionth Production of A Christmas Carol, a small theater in Northern California fears closing its doors after mounting costly shows with poor sales. Hoping to appeal to a larger audience, the artistic director puts up Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol.

With sparkling humor, we are also made aware of the compromises between art for art’s sake and art that pays. Get the details.

12 Days of Chocolate Starts Dec. 4.

Dandelion Chocolate – isn’t the name just the best? – holds its 5th annual fundraiser in support of the SF-Marin Food Bank. This sweet and savory celebration of all things chocolate teams up with or lends their space to chefs and pastry luminaries who take Dandelion chocolate and run with it to create a series of small plates, pairings, or tastings.

The number of celeb chefs (i.e., the chefs from State Bird Provisions, Michael Mina, Manresa and more) will tempt your palates in scrumptious ways. A number of the events will be held in a beautiful space on the second floor of Dandelion’s upcoming chocolate factory on 16th and Alabama. The ice-cream social, Bakery Night and the annual Willy Wonka movie night will take place at their Valencia Café. A donation bin for canned goods will also be located just inside the café for the duration of the series.

A great early holiday gift for the chocolate lovers in your life. Events begin December 4th and run for, you guessed it 12 days. Hey why not, tis the season to indulge! Get the details.

Fashion Incubator Event

You may not be aware that we have a very cool fashion incubator right in our own city. Their mission is to accelerate emerging apparel and accessories design businesses while supporting the fashion industry and job creation in the bay area. This is a wonderful organization that supports up and coming designers. These serious entrepreneurs get help with industry trends, quality programs and are given high profile opportunities to showcase their new lines. They also provide information to us regular folks who just love fashion.

Tonight, on their First Friday, they will be hosting Dan Widmaier, the CEO of Bolt Threads. He is going to talk about how nature holds the secrets to revolutionizing fashion through novel eco-friendly textiles. Bolt Threads has been making waves with their use of biotechnology to design protein-based materials at the molecular level, starting with spider silk. Fascinating stuff friends, particularly for the fashion obsessed like yours truly. Get more details.