CITY LIFE
TABLE HOPPIN’
Old Sturbridge Village offers Gingerbread House contest online BARBARA M. HOULE
p.m. Take-out and curbside service are available. Business hours and menus are posted on Facebook.
An entry from the 2018 Gingerbread House Contest during Christmas by Candlelight at Old Sturbridge Village. JAMES MARABELLO
cooks and a dishwasher during the pandemic. “We consider ourselves to be very fortunate in an industry that has been hit so hard,” he said. The restaurant currently is open for indoor dining only on weekends, Friday and Saturday beginning at 5
If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.
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A toast to Drunken Snowman Michael and Lisa Merrigan, owners of 118 Main Street Kitchen
& Spirits in Upton, spread seasonal cheer not only with great food, but also a new adult holiday drink, the Drunken Snowman. This hot chocolate amaretto with Bailey’s Irish Cream and cinnamon remains on the restaurant’s bar menu through winter months. It’s already a hit with guests, especially when they see it being served for the first time, said Michael Merrigan. “They always ask, ‘What’s that?’” The drink is cute and a lot of fun to serve, according to the Merrigans, who opened 118 Main Street Kitchen & Spirits in 2019. The photo of the drink first was posted on the restaurant’s website and the Taste of Massachusetts website The restaurant is doing OK amid the pandemic, said Merrigan, who described the customer base as very loyal. Outdoor summer seating helped expand business, he said, and being a small restaurant allows him to order all fresh ingredients as he plans the menus. The farmto-table restaurant has been able to employ several bartenders and
D E C E M B E R 24 - 30, 2020
thinking we were able to keep the beloved tradition of the Gingerbread House Contest alive.” Gingerbread house builders are a competitive bunch, battling over bragging rights for the best candied-covered house. I haven’t decked the halls with my own gingerbread house in a while but through the years I have judged gingerbread house competitions, including OSV’s. Displays have been mind-blowing. Amateur and professional “architects” who create and decorate these incredible gingerbread houses go way beyond, using candy canes, gumdrops, marshmallows, licorice and “Peeps” Christmas trees. And, sometimes they bite off more than they can chew. Big or small, snow-draped or heavily glittered, gingerbread houses capture the holiday spirit. Enjoy!
Little Leaf, Food Hub deliver holiday boxes Little Leaf Farms in Devens partnered with Worcester Regional Food Hub this month to donate boxes of local produce, dairy and more to food pantries, senior centers and organizations that help people experiencing food insecurity. The company committed to sponsoring more than 250 boxes of locally produced lettuce for the holiday donation. Each donated box included two boxes of Little Leaf Farms lettuce; Nutty Bird Granola (Sherborn company); Minuteman Kettle Corn (Worcester company); eggs from Lilac Hedge Farm in Jefferson; milk, Mapleline Farm in Hadley; apples, Carlson Orchards in Harvard; potatoes, carrots, onions and acorn squash from Pioneer Valley farms. Shout out to all participating vendors and the Worcester Regional Food Hub.
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ld Sturbridge Village has taken its annual Gingerbread House Contest to a new format this season, asking contestants to enter virtually. OSV received several dozen “spectacular” entries, according to Daniel Friel, director of public and government relations at OSV, who said the popular contest held during the village’s Christmas by Candlelight program was changed as a result of spatial and safety concerns amid COVID-19. Contestants submitted photos of their entries in one of four categories that included adult non-professional, adult professional, youth and family. Prizes (gift certificates to the village) will be awarded in each category to the top entry, said Friel. “This year’s virtual format has allowed us to learn more about the creators, their backstory and how they decided their design,” added Friel. “Although the virtual isn’t our ideal, we have enjoyed the process and opportunity to maintain the great tradition.” Do you know a good gingerbread house when you see one? Here’s your chance to be a competition judge. Visitors are able to view the entries on a monitor in OSV’s Visitor Center as well as on its website and vote for “Best in Show.” Visit www.osv.org through Dec. 30 to cast your vote for your favorite entry. Guest judges will choose category winners. All contest winners will be announced at the conclusion of Christmas by Candlelight 2020. Note: A limited amount of tickets for Christmas by Candlelight are still available and can be purchased on OSV’s website. “Our annual holiday event is still a very festive recreation of the past, and we’ve kept as many of the popular elements as possible and added new ones,” said Jim O’Brien, director of public events at OSV. “With innovation and creative
