Gingerbread Build-off Sunday

The annual Christ Kitchen Gingerbread Build-off is Sunday at the Davenport Hotel.

Watch as local chefs and architects team up to decorate gigantic gingerbread structures from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Hall of Doges. This year’s theme is “A Super Hero Holiday.” The competition is free to view and guests can buy ballots to cast votes for their favorites. Kids can get into the action and decorate their own mini-houses for $7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Grand Pennington Ballroom.

All of the money raised benefits Christ Kitchen, a ministry and job-training program for women in poverty in the area.

On The Way opens

Christ Kitchen also has opened a new kiosk for its made-from-scratch mixes and baskets at NorthTown Mall this season.

On The Way was launched by a team of Christ Kitchen women who were ready to take on more responsibility. It is stocked from all of the mixes and gift baskets made by women in the job-training program, from Testament Tea and Blessed Brownies to French Lentil Soup and Blue Corn Hotcakes. Christ Kitchen makes more than 35 dried food products and mixes at 2410 N. Monroe St., where catering services and a café are also offered. There is another kiosk at River Park Square on the third level near the AMC Theater box office.

Reach Christ Kitchen at (509) 325-4343 or online at www.christkitchen.org.

‘Dishing Up Washington’ released

Seattle-based food writer Jess Thomson has a new cookbook that reveals the abundance and diversity of Washington state. “Dishing Up Washington” ($19.95, Storey Publishing) features chefs, farmers, fishers and artisan food producers. Many of the recipes were collected from them.

It is heavy on recipes from the West Side, but there are producers from the Eastern slopes of the Cascades featured. Dry Fly Distilling of Spokane and Olsen Farms of Colville are included.

Look inside today’s Food section on page C3 for a recipe from Cinnamon Twisp Bakery in Twisp, Wash.