Many Americans look forward to the food and traditions of Thanksgiving dinner all year long, and everyone has a favorite dish. Shannon Powers was shopping with his daughter Macy, who announced that she’s “four and three-fourths-years-old." Powers favors an old family recipe - yams with walnuts, pineapple and marshmallows. “My mom used to make it, now my sister in Novato does.” Macy likes warm pumpkin pie with whipped cream. “My daddy’s girlfriend Kate made one from the pumpkin patch,” she grinned. "We all picked the pumpkins.”  Larry Castle, owner of Gestalt Haus in Fairfax, doesn’t like …

Chabot Space & Science Center is an institution of the Bay Area – drawing children and amateur astronomists from all the counties. And, as part of a series of stories meeting some of the influential and interesting people that comment, blog, and post on San Anselmo-Fairfax Patch, we’re starting off meeting the CEO of this scientific staple: Fairfax resident Alex Zwissler. Zwissler grew up in Oakland and, “just like all the kids in Oakland,” he said, he went to the 127-year-old observatory. So, when the opportunity opened up to come work at Chabot after seven years as the Director of the Fort …

Get to know your neighbors around town with fun questions and answer them yourself, below! A table of four fit women, who were having a beverage at the Fairfax Coffee Roastery and bite after the bike ride they call “Double Dam” (Fairfax to Alpine Dam, and back…twice), answered the question of the day: What do you order from the barista? Linda Klein from Forest Knolls said, “My favorite is always straight French roast coffee. There is a new study out that coffee could ward off Alzheimer’s and Deepak Chopra is talking about it too.”   Well known Fairfax healer Christine Dillon, (Ross Valley …

Jack Arbeed, Pharmacy Manager at CVS in Red Hill recommends flu shots. “Historically, people who receive them have a much lower incidence of getting the flu, especially those who are fifty years and older,” he said. “You can come in without an appointment during our pharmacy hours which are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Most insurance companies, including Medicare, cover the cost. For walk in non-insured customers, the shot is $25."   Lauri Burk, (pictured) from Rohnert Park, has worked at CVS for 12 years. She's been a pharmacy tech at Red Hill for the past six…

Even though Halloween is next week, many people haven’t decided what they want to be yet, but Joy Sassoon, the ever-stylish owner of Gioia Boutique had some good suggestions. “Rather than spending money on a costume you will probably never wear again,” she said, “I think it’s better to be creative with what you already have and enhance the look by purchasing accessories you can enjoy in your regular life. “I made an adorable 'black fairy' outfit from a dress that was in our sale basket at the store. It had a handkerchief hem and I dyed it black, sewed on wings which I got at a children’s …

“Mushrooms,” said documentary film maker Jim Choi, who stopped at M&G Burgers on his way back to San Francisco from Pt. Reyes, where he was working on the 25th anniversary of Shark Week for The Discovery Channel. "We were filming all day with shark researchers. We saw eight great whites,” he said.  “I got a double cheeseburger here, but usually I like mushrooms as a topping. This burger is great, though.”  What topping do you like on your burger?