Inspired by the childhood memories of the Petrone brothers, who opened Piazza D’Angelo restaurant in 1981 and passed the baton to their children in 2017, the annual Mill Valley Winterfest comes Sunday to the downtown Mill Valley Depot Plaza. The free community event from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. gathers local families and friends for activities, food and entertainment in the style of their small hometown in the Calabria region in southern Italy.
Local restaurants will be there dishing out refreshments and nibbles in the square. Piazza D’Angelo will serve rigatoni pasta with vegetables and marinara sauce. Enjoy lentil bites from Good Earth Natural Foods. Smoothies and juices are thanks to Vitality Bowls. The boutique-style Judaica store, Brooklyn, will make latkes; Super Duper Burgers has house-made donuts; and Equator Coffees will serve coffee, hot apple cider and brownie bites.
Activities include a huge rainbow slide and jumpee house; tree and menorah lighting ceremonies; a daylong lineup of live music and dance performers; and the midday arrival of Santa.
The spirited holiday event is sponsored by the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce and the City of Mill Valley. Donations of $2 to $10 for rides is suggested. There is free bike and stroller parking throughout the day from the Marin County Bicycle Coalition with support from Tam Bikes. For further details, go to enjoymillvalley.com.
Visions of gingerbread
Sometimes it’s more pleasurable to ponder the talent of other candy house creators than to graze from and build one’s own. Download a map and visit the 21 restaurants, cafes, bakeries and shops participating in Sausalito’s 13th annual Gingerbread House Competition and Tour.
Some will share a gingerbread edible or drinkable item, as indicated on the map. The creative, custom-built homes are on display all month.
For a list of stops and to access the printable map, go sausalito.org/gingerbread-house-tour.
Pixie bake sale
Sugary sweets abound during Pixie Park’s annual parent-prepared bake sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday to support rebuilding the park. Festively wrapped packages of homemade cookies, cakes and confections are ready for gift-giving or immediate eating. Santa will make a stop for photo opportunities and crafts are set up for kids.
The 65-year-old Pixie Park is a co-op play and event space for children 6 and under on the grounds of the Marin Art & Garden Center at 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in Ross. The bake sale is free to the public. For more information, go to magc.org or call 415-455-5260.
Madcap’s menu deal
Madcap Mondays is back at chef Ron Siegel’s creative, casual San Anselmo storefront restaurant when he offers a weekly changing, four-course menu for $60. Specific dishes are announced at 3 p.m. Mondays. All diners at the table need to order the coursed meal and there are no substitutions or special requests. Reservations are recommended, as these special menus sell out early. The à la carte and chef’s tasting menus are also available.
Madcap is at 198 San Anselmo Ave. To make reservations or get a glimpse of the special Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve menus, go to madcapmarin.com.
Marin food tours
The Cheese School of San Francisco wears a few hats. It’s a cafe, caterer, event space, cheese and wine shop and classroom that is highlighting West Marin during two upcoming farm tours.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 16, two Cheese School cheesemongers will transport a group of 11 to Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. and Tomales Farmstead Creamery for a farm tour and cheese tasting. The schedule from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 27 includes a stop at Double 8 Dairy, California’s only water buffalo creamery, and a tour and tasting at the original Cowgirl Creamery location.
Coffee starts the day and a gourmet lunch is served.
Meet at the Cheese School in Ghirardelli Square at 900 North Point St. To register, go to thecheeseschool.com/collections/farm-tours.
Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer. Please send her an email at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with your local food news, restaurant experiences and general feedback. You can follow the Marin dining scene at instagram.com/therealdealmarin.