Twas the Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas,
And all was sublime.
In the Gilded Fork kitchen,
They’d opened the wine.

Jennifer knew it was time for the feast,
So she went to the oven to get the beast.
To her utter dismay, the roast was not there!
Vanished — void — like a cloud in thin air.

“Chef Donna!” she cried,
With tears on her cheeks,
“Some dastardly scoundrel
Has stolen the beast!”

“How can that be?” said Donna in shock,
“I checked it myself at four o’clock!”
Wondering how they would feed themselves,
They knew it was time to call on the elves.

Gilded Fork elves are a marvelous bunch —
In minutes flat they can whip up a lunch.
With pâté and truffles, and crudités,
And all sorts of goodies in grand display.

So down to the cellar the two ladies went.
They stopped to see Alder, their wine-loving gent.
“The champagne is chilled, my fellow gourmands!
A fabulous vintage, straight from France!”

“Let’s hope the elves have something to match,”
Mused Donna as she explained the catch.
“I’d better come with you,” said Alder with haste,
“One wrong move and they’ll spoil the taste.”

They entered the lair of the elves, and grinned —
Kelly was there, with tonic and gin.
“A cocktail,” she said, “to toast the fête.”
“Now tell me, is that yummy beast ready yet?”

They recounted the tale with sorrow and woe,
As the elves gathered round, with Chef Mark in tow.
“We’ll fix it!” they said, “Worry you not!”
“Our pantry is brimming, our freezer is stocked!”

With hands overflowing they all went upstairs,
The next hours flew with the feast to prepare.
Mark was tasting, Alder was singing,
Kelly was dancing, and Jennifer…drinking.

Donna had all of the elves in a line,
Assembling the meal and pouring the wine.
Like a four-star general she ran the show,
While the others’ faces began to glow.

At last they sat to partake of the feast,
No longer concerned with the missing beast.
With cheeks quite rosy, Jennifer stood,
And gathered her thoughts as best she could:

“My friends, my fellow gastronomes,
Because of your fervor this house is a home.
For a year we have worked to build a place,
Where cooking and tasting is filled with grace.”

“With Donna’s deft hand, the senses are sated,
With Alder’s sharp mind, the wine myths debated,
With Mark’s travel lust, the world is explored,
And with Kelly’s fine eye, the visuals adored.”

“I’m proud to be a part,” she concluded,
“Of a place where the meaning is never diluted.
“A toast to you, for the work you have done —
So many palates and minds have been won.

The passion is key to this thing we call ‘heart,’
Where gourmands have joined us from worlds apart.
Let us toast them too — a group most sage,
As they journey with us toward a new Gilded Age.”

Happy Holidays!