Eats Beat: Holiday gift ideas, entertaining tips and events

* Just in time for holiday gifting, Mount Airy's Geechee Girl Rice Café (6825 Germantown Ave., 215-843-8113, GeecheeGirl.com) has issued the Geechee Girl 2013 Recipe Calendar, featuring easy-to-follow recipes by the BYOB chef/owner Valerie Erwin, with photos by Debbie Lerman. Snag one for $20 at the restaurant.

* Suited for holiday gifts and entertaining is the 13-ingredient tapenade made by Respond Inc., a 45-year-old nonprofit that provides services, including job training, in and around Camden. Culinary-arts students make the tapenade, which sells for $8 a half-pound, $12.95 a pound. Find it at the Haddonfield, N.J., farmer's market, call 856-583-2640 or email chefgalalmoin@aol.com.

* Shop Kensington local as Greensgrow Farms (2501 E. Cumberland St., 215-427-2702, greensgrow.org) holds its annual customer appreciation party from 6-8 p.m. Friday, with 20 percent off retail purchases from 30 local crafters, artisans and food purveyors. Fresh holiday greens and winter plants, too. There's a Holiday Bazaar Saturday-Sunday and Dec. 15-16.

* If it's December, it's time for Latkepalooza, the annual Hanukkah event at the Gershman Y (401 S. Broad St., 215-545-4400, gershmany.org). Stop by from 2-4 p.m. Sunday for latkes from the new kosher restaurant Citron & Rose, among others. Tickets are $16 advance, $5 kids under 10; $18 and $7 at the door if it hasn't sold out, which it often does.

* Like holiday baked goods but not holiday baking? Leave that work in the more-than-capable hands of Chef Jose Garces and his Executive Pastry Chef Jessica Mogardo, offering four seasonal pies, $35 each, at Garces Trading Company (1111 Locust St., 215-574-1099) or JG Domestic (2929 Arch St., 215-222-2363). They had us at Apple, Bacon, Caramel, but there's also Pumpkin-Gingerbread, Chocolate-Pecan and Cherry, Cranberry, Cornmeal. Orders must be placed before noon for next-day pickup at the restaurants or garcesgroup.com.

* The Walnut Street Supper Club, (1227 Walnut St., 215-923-8208, walnutstreetsupperclub.com) now serves lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Find sandwiches and entrées priced at $8 or $9.