Fresh Today

The aromas of baking gingerbread can put a smile on the face of a Scrooge during the holiday season, but Fred McKenzie claims he no longer notices these seasonal scents. This is his 16th Christmas turning out thousands of gingerbread cookies at his Sarah Lingwood's Kitchens in Anacortes. He's reminded of his line of work, however, when friends tell him he and his clothing smell just as good as his products.

McKenzie bought the business from Lingwood, who operated it for 15 years. She still lives a short distance from the kitchens and visits frequently to make sure the employees are ``doing it right'' as they hand-decorate all the edible people and animals. On a busy day, the business turns out 21,000 cookies. The products, sweet companions to a steaming mug of hot chocolate on a wintry day, are sold in Seattle at Nordstrom, The Bon Marche, Addisons, Truffles, The Confectionery and Queen Anne Thriftway.

Gingerbread of the admire-but-don't-eat variety is on display in the lobby of the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers. Chefs have created gingerbread models of the Space Needle, a Victorian home, an ice chalet and a cathedral.

Restaurantouring

Hamburger Mary's has opened on Broadway, with plans to grow. The restaurant features grilled burgers, piled high with chopped vegetables, on 12-grain buns. The bread is delivered here from Portland, where a franchise of the restaurant has been popular since 1974. Other Hamburger Mary's are in San Francisco and Honolulu. The local owners, Paul Fruehling and Bob Charles, intend to open a bar this month and a disco in February in adjoining spaces on the upper level of the Broadway Market. . . . Connie Malevitsis, an owner of the new Ponti Seafood Grill near the Fremont Bridge, has a favorite from the menu, and it's not even remotely fishy. She and chef Alvin Binuya are partial to the Braised Lamb Shank with Grilled Polenta, but they're also proud of such specialties as Pan Seared Scallops with Apple Curry, Crab and Sole Ravioli, Mussel Stew with Saffron Aioli and Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes.

Frugal French fare

Le Tastevin has begun its Cafe Au Light program, serving light lunches and suppers at light prices in its lounge, including Salmon Pate with Watercress Sauce for $5.95 and Smoked Duck with Grilled Salad for $5.25. . . . And speaking of bargains, at La Rive Gauche, the French New Deal program features an entree, vegetable, starch, salad, bread and butter, a glass of wine or soft drink and a dessert for $8.95 (Mondays, pot-au-feu; Tuesdays, creamed veal stew; Wednesdays, coq au vin and Thursdays, lamb stew with beans). . . . For every entree sold at Jimmy's restaurant in the Federal Way Executel through Saturday, the management will donate $2 to the Federal Way Boys & Girls Club to assist needy families at Christmas. . . . A couple of intriguing entrees from this month's dinner menu at the Dahlia Lounge are Fresh Clam and Pancetta Spaghetti with Loads of Garlic, and Curried Cashew and Potato Stuffed Cabbage Leaves. . . . Banners restaurant in the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers will feature Spanish foods prepared by visiting Chef Jennifer Smith of Chicago's Cafe Bab Ba Reeba, at lunch and dinner through Saturday. Try her marinated octopus, curried lamb pies and sauteed wild mushrooms with sherry.

What's stirring

Spot Bagel Bakery in the Wallingford Center has started a catering program, emphasizing that their products are good for meetings and parties at any time of day - spice-raisin bagels and fruit for a breakfast meeting, classic lox and bagels for a brunch and a bagel-meat-and-cheese tray for the cocktail hour. In addition to the traditional flavors, you can choose from such specialties as Empowered Wheat, Orange Poppy, Firehouse Jalapeno and Joy of Garlic. . . . Bob Burgess and Roger DeGaetano of Burgess Espresso Carts & Machines recently returned from a trade show in Fiera, Italy, with word that Italians don't want espresso to become fast food. The automatic and super-automatic machines are not catching on as quickly as some manufacturers hoped, they say. The Italians prefer the semi-automatic machines that give the operator an important role in delivering the drinks. In Italy, espresso-machine operators are revered professionals, and most operators are older than they are here, the local businessmen found. . . . ``Cooking for the Holidays'' classes ($10 each) at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville feature chef Caprial Pence of Fullers at 7 p.m. today and chefs John Sarich and Marianne Zdobysz of the winery at 7 p.m. Dec. 19. . . . KOMO Kitchen's Katherine Wise has a new recipe journal, ``Think Slim . . . Be Slim,'' with 200 recipes for fast and nutritious meals. Wise is the professional name for Bonnie Lauby, a registered dietitian who wrote the journal. For a copy, mail $16.50 to Katherine Wise, P.O. Box 1111, Fall City, WA 98024. . . . The second annual Art of Food and Wine program at Salishan Lodge on the Oregon coast, with four days and three nights of symposiums, demonstrations, feasting and a tribute to the late James Beard, begins Jan. 13. Cost, including meals and lodging, is $545 for singles and $895 for two people sharing a room.

Dinner together

Encouraging news on the heels of numerous reports about how lifestyles have become so hectic, families seldom gather for mealtimes: According to a New York Times/CBS News poll, 80 percent of Americans with children under 18 say that on a typical weeknight most of their family eats dinner together. Interviews after the polling indicated that eating dinner together provided a peaceful respite from the frenzy of their day. . . . Needy Eastside families will be treated to a holiday dinner with gifts for children and adults Sunday sponsored by merchants of Crossroads and the Eastside Public Market. United Way in Bellevue is coordinating the invitations to families. . . . KIRO's fifth annual ``Fight Hunger Day'' is from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow, with donations of food and cash for Northwest Harvest accepted at KIRO Broadcast House and at Park and Ride lots throughout King and Pierce counties.

Fresh Today by Larry Brown appears Wednesday in the Food section of The Times.