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Holiday Magic: The Solera Bon Appétit Cooking Club celebrated the season with a festive holiday luncheon at Mill Creek Cattle Company. The banquet room was beautifully decorated, and each table featured a stunning handcrafted centerpiece created by the Holiday Party Committee — Judy Ferguson, Ronni Zacker, and Sheila Kelly. At every place setting, members found a charming succulent to take home, lovingly grown by Sheila Kelly from cuttings of her own plants. The luncheon offered entrée choices of beef, chicken, or a vegetarian selection, all served with potatoes, salad, and vegetables. Desserts — graciously provided by several members — were delicious and plentiful. The meal was delightful, and the setting truly magical. Our always-popular raffle basket drawing was even more exciting this year, featuring special holiday-themed baskets. In addition, a spectacular quilt — created by the Solera Quilters Club under the guidance of Leanne Chase — had been gathering raffle ticket entries for several months. The lucky winners, Ron and Debbie Monroe, were thrilled to take home this cherished handmade treasure. Outgoing president Carolyn Keierleber introduced the newly elected Board: Patty Meinhardt, Debra Connor, Diane Gell, and Carol Collin. New President Patty Meinhardt surprised the outgoing Board members with a beautiful boxed gift as a thank you for their dedicated service. The next Bon Appétit event, "Spicing It Up," will be held on Jan. 9 from 1 to 3 pm in the Clubhouse. The program will feature an engaging discussion on a variety of spices — those that elevate dishes and those best used sparingly. This gathering will also serve as a membership drive, so be sure to invite your friends. For information about the Solera Bon Appétit Cooking Club, contact club secretary Diane Gell at bonappetitcookingclubsolera@gmail.com or (909) 223- 9270. Bon Appétit! ~ Carolyn Keierleber | LIFE IN SOLERA | JANUARY 2026 | 19 What an amazing class: 20 future cookie artists learning the techniques for creating beautiful decorated cookies. The fall class produced a turkey, pumpkins, and fall leaves using piping, outlining, f looding, and wet-on-wet decorating techniques. Many reminders given to f lood cookies like a f lood and not to paint cookies with their scribe tool. This being only our second class, improvements in technique are being noticed. Of other notice was the number of cookie artists eating the icing! Can't blame them, it is absolutely delicious. Classes for 2026 are filling up quickly and are scheduled as follows: Feb. 4, 2 pm: Valentine's Day cookies March 4, 2 pm: St. Patrick's Day-themed cookies April 15, 2 pm: Springtime cookies Contact Patty Meinhardt at (909) 723-3847 for more information and pricing. Classes are limited to 20 participants. BON APPETIT CLUB COOKIE DECORATING CLASS