Family favorite cookbookLooking for a local gift for your culinary friends? Treat them to a copy of “Top of the Range: A Recipe Collection” by Mary Boname. Her son is the owner of Front Range Barbeque and she visits him often from her home in Birmingham, Ala. The book costs $22.95 and is available at 4935 Templeton Gap Road, at 2330 W. Colorado Ave., and at Smiley’s.—Gingerbread challengeIf you can’t get to the Gingerbread & Jazz Masterpiece Chef Challenge at the Child Nursery Centers, 104 E. Rio Grande St., on Nov. 14, tune to KKTV at 9 a.m. on Nov. 9 to get a sample of the action. John Harding and Stacia Naquin will be decorating their gingerbread houses during the news hour.—Holiday helperWhole Foods Market, 7635 N. Academy Blvd., will have Taste of the Holidays — All Things Good 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 6, 13 and 20. There will be samples of turkey, sides and desserts. Other holiday events include:• “Preventing Holiday Weight Gain,” a free class by dietitian Martha Rosenau, will be 6 to 7 p.m. Nov. 9. You’ll learn strategies for surviving an abundance of calorie-dense holiday dishes and goodies.Classes are 6 to 7 p.m. and cost $10. Call 531-9999 to register.• Nov. 10 — Mastering sauces. Recipes include: Béchamel, tomato hollandaise, veloute, and beurre blanc.• Nov. 17 — Overcoming Challenges of Thanksgiving Dinner. Get tips for making the perfect turkey, creamy, fluffy mashed potatoes, and smooth gravy.—Class specialsLauren Stuart, owner of Cooking Naturally, offers $10 off if you sign up for two classes and $20 off when you sign up for three. Visit learnnaturalfoods.com to see the class list and to register. She will have a Fall Harvest Wine Dinner 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 8. For $60 you get butternut squash and coconut bisque; pepita-crusted and -seared goat cheese cakes with caramelized onions, apples and wilted arugula; risotto; maple and red curry Colorado bison over smashed baby potatoes; and pear strudel with green chile syrup. Call 527-9356.Teresa J. Farney, The Gazette

Dan Maas, who’s known to friends as Big Dan, loves to collect big soda mugs. Photo by ANDREA BROWN, THE GAZETTE