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Health & Fitness

Kitchen Elves Get Busy at Homeward Bound

They're leaping into action at this time of year to fill orders for Halo Truffles, cater events in The Key Room and serve holiday meals at Jackson Cafe.

With the holidays sparkling close on the horizon, the culinary crew at Homeward Bound of Marin steps up their activities.

From mid-November until year-end, they move quickly to fill orders for Halo Truffles, cater events in The Key Room and assemble boxes of Halo HomeMades jams, jellies and salsas for sale by volunteers at local churches or craft fairs.

Chef Luis Realpozo, the artisan for our Halo Truffles, has scheduled another production day in advance of the Margaret Todd Senior Center Holiday Fair, where Homeward Bound has an annual presence to sell the wares made by students and staff in our Fresh Starts Culinary Academy.

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Each year, the Homeward Bound staff has the honor of tasting new creations for sale. This year’s new offerings include fresh panettone and a rich chocolate ganache tart.

Last week kicked off the catering season with the Pacific Sun’s “Heroes of Marin” Awards Dinner in The Key Room. It was attended by 75 people from around the county, including honorees like San Rafael Mayor Al Boro (lifetime achievement) and San Marin High School student Ana Camara-Flores (rising star.)

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With the room dressed to impress, the Fresh Starts team prepared a choice of prime rib, roasted halibut or Portobello mushroom wellington and topped off the menu with espresso mousse cake. Their efforts will continue right through Thanksgiving, when Jackson Café at Whistlestop in San Rafael (operated by Homeward Bound as a site for culinary interns) will make a turkey feast for an estimated 120 local seniors.

We’ve sold out of the “Bee Home” honey harvested from our on-site hives at the Next Key Center, but there are still plenty of locally made jams like strawberry, blueberry and nectarine available. Feel free to review our order form for more details.

We’re always happy to see shoppers in person at the Next Key Center or you can find our sales tables at two upcoming events: the Margaret Todd Senior Center Holiday Fair — Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at Margaret Todd Center in Novato — or our sale day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Marin Civic Center cafeteria.

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