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While cruise lines run flash sales and specials throughout the year, they traditionally reserve some of the best deals of the year for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with some discounts already available.

Here’s a rundown of discounts from some of the lines.

Atlas Ocean Voyages: The all-inclusive luxury line offers up to 40% off and a complimentary amenity on 20 expeditions. Book by Dec. 5. Details at atlasoceanvoyages.com or call 844-442-8527.

Carnival Cruise Line: Shop the Black Friday pre-sale with cruises from $79 per person, per day. Packages also include room upgrades from $1, a bonus onboard credit of up to $50 and up to 40% off cruise rates for sailings through April 2028. Carnival is rolling out deals throughout Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Travel Tuesday and Green Monday. Details at carnival.com or call 800-764-7419.

Cunard: Fares start at $899, plus up to 40% off launch fares, included onboard credit, reduced deposits and more during the Black Friday event. Book by Dec. 8. Details at cunard.com or call 800-728-6273.

Celebrity Cruises: Black Friday Kickoff offers 75% off a second guest’s cruise fare, savings of up to $700 per room and $100 bonus savings on all Caribbean and Europe sailings. The kickoff sale lasts through the end of the day on Nov. 26. Details at celebritycruises.com or call 888-751-7804.

Costa Cruises: The line is promoting cruises starting at $52 per day for cruises booked by Nov. 30. Details at costacruises.com or call 800-462-6782.

Emerald Cruises: The line offers up to 35% in extra savings per suite on river cruises and yacht cruises, plus 2-for-1 fares on select 2025-2027 departures for river cruises and select 2025-2028 sailings for yacht cruises. Book by Nov. 30. More details at emeraldcruises.com or call 857-216-7413.

Holland America: Save up to 30% on fares with more than 800 itineraries to choose from. The deal also includes 50% reduced deposits, free fares for third and fourth guests and free prepaid gratuities for sailings booked by Nov. 30. Details at hollandamerica.com or call 855-932-1711.

Hurtigruten Expeditions: Black Friday cruise deals offer up to 50% off select itineraries now through Sept. 2026. Book by Dec. 3. Details at hurtigruten.com or call 888-967-9864.

Margaritaville at Sea: Explore up to $950 in instant savings on all cruises through 2027, plus free cabin upgrades, free third and fourth guests and up to 50% off the Cruise+ Bundle with drinks and WiFi. Details at margaritavilleatsea.com or call 800-814-7100.

MSC Cruises: The line is offering cruises from $199, plus up to $1,000 onboard credit and kids sail free. Book by Nov. 28. For a limited time, get up to an extra $250 onboard credit for Caribbean sailings. Details at msccruisesusa.com or call 833-625-6659.

Norwegian Cruise Line: The line is offering 50% all sailings booked during the Black Friday sale and bringing back its Free at Sea promotion package with beverage packages, Wi-Fi, dining experiences and shore excursion credits. The deal also includes $150 free with CruiseFirst credits, which can be purchased and then applied to a future cruise. Details at ncl.com or call 866-234-7350.

Oceania Cruises: Save up to 50% on select luxury cruises plus the free amenities of “Your World Included,” which includes gourmet specialty dining, unlimited WiFi, wine and beer during lunch and dinner restaurant hours and shore excursion credit. Book by Dec. 2. Details at oceaniacruises.com.

Princess Cruises: The cruise line offers up to $800 in instant savings and up to 50% off cruise fares, plus 50% off deposits. Third and fourth guests sail free on select itineraries. Book by Dec. 1. Details at princess.com or call 800-774-6237.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises: Book by Dec. 2 for up to 40% savings and a $500 shipboard credit per suite. Details at rssc.com or call 844-324-5118.

Royal Caribbean: The line offers up to $900 off select sailings and third and fourth guests sail free during the Black Friday sale. Some getaways start at $169-$179. Vacationers can take advantage of 50% off onboard extras, including drink packages, internet and excursions. Details at royalcaribbean.com or call 866-562-7625.

Viking Cruises: Take advantage of free airfare on select itineraries, plus $500 shipboard credit per couple and a $25 deposit valid on select river and ocean cruises. The offer expires Nov. 30 and can be redeemed with the code NS25. Details at vikingrivercruises.com.

Virgin Voyages: The Richard Branson-backed cruise line is offering 80% off a second fare, as well as up to $500 in free drinks, on sailings booked through Dec. 4. Select voyages in 2025 and 2026 also have a “Lock-It-in-Rate” starting at $99 during the Black Friday sale. Details at virginvoyages.com.

Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com. Stay up to date with our latest travel, arts and events coverage by subscribing to our newsletters at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.

A bunch of rock, pop and comedy performers have put tickets on sale for their upcoming South Florida concerts, the timing of which, at the edge of gift-buying season, is pure coincidence. Here’s a look at a dozen recently announced shows and where to get tickets, from Kings of Leon and Keith Urban to comedians Matt Rife and Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias.

Jonas Brothers: The ageless trio will host their New Year’s Eve party Greetings From 2026 at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Dec. 31, 2025. Get tickets at Ticketmaster.com.

Santana: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Carlos Santana recently added dates to his Oneness Tour 2026, including a stop at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on April 11. Tickets went on sale Friday at Ticketmaster.com.

Kings of Leon: The Followills released their first EP in more than 20 years, titled “EP #2,” on Nov. 7, a followup to last year’s critically praised album “Can We Please Have Fun.” Kings Of Leon will perform at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on April 17-18. Tickets went on sale Friday at Ticketmaster.com.

Carlos Vives: The pioneering Colombian singer is bringing his Tour Al Sol to the Kaseya Center in Miami on May 23. Get tickets at Ticketmaster.com.

Weird Al Yankovic: The pop-culture satirist will perform at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on his Bigger & Weirder 2026 Tour on May 26. Tickets went on sale Friday at Ticketmaster.com.

Keith Urban: The country heartthrob is coming to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on May 29. Tickets went on sale Friday at Ticketmaster.com.

Matt Rife: Citing fan demand, the uber-popular young comedian has added a second performance on his Stay Golden World Tour at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on June 27. Tickets went on sale Friday at MattRifeOfficial.com. Tickets are still available for his June 26 show.

Train: The beloved pop-rock band will open their Drops of Jupiter: 25 Years in the Atmosphere Tour on July 8 at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach. Tickets are on sale at SaveMeSanFrancisco.com/tour.

Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias: Another insanely popular comedian, especially in South Florida, Iglesias will perform at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on July 10. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com.

Lynyrd Skynyrd: The iconic Southern rock band is bringing their summer tour to iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach on July 17, joined by special guests Loverboy. Tickets went on sale Friday at LynyrdSkynyrd.com.

Mötley Crüe: The durable rock band, again proving their farewell tour (a decade ago?) was ill considered, will take The Return of the Carnival of Sins tour to iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach on Aug. 14, joined by Tesla and Extreme. Tickets went on sale Friday at Ticketmaster.com.

Don Was: The influential, Grammy-winning musician, producer and composer is bringing his new group, Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, to The Parker in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 11. Expect to hear music from new album “Groove in the Face of Adversity,” along with a live rendition of the Grateful Dead’s “Blues for Allah,” honoring the album’s 50th anniversary. Get tickets at ParkerPlayhouse.com.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell. 

Elaine Hsieh Chou knows how to keep readers off-balance.

The author made her literary debut in 2022 with the aptly titled novel “Disorientation,” a satire about a Taiwanese American graduate student who sets off a firestorm after discovering that the acclaimed Chinese American poet she’s studying isn’t who everyone thinks he is. The novel drew rave reviews from critics and ended up on best-of-the-year lists.

Chou brings her dark humor and skewed sense of reality to her new book, the short story collection “Where Are You Really From.” The book opens with “Carrot Legs,” about a teenage girl who, along with her cousin, fantasizes about killing and eating a neighbor — and things get even weirder after that. In one story, an older man gets a mail-order bride — actually delivered in a box — from Taiwan; in another, an American woman moves to France only to discover that she has a doppelganger.

Chou was born in Anaheim Hills, raised in Orange County and the Bay Area, and educated at UC Irvine and New York University. She discussed her book via telephone from Las Vegas, where she now lives. This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

Q: How did you come to choose “Where Are You Really From” as the title of this collection?

It was originally in a story called “A Model Minority,” which is a satirical story about the first Asian American man who joins the KKK. He doesn’t know it’s the KKK in the beginning. He thinks it’s his company softball team, but he really wants to be with this in-crowd.

After the story was cut from this collection, I decided to keep the title because it just seemed to speak to the concerns over how we perceive ourselves and how others perceive us, and the gap that happens in between.

It’s also a question that I got a lot when I was living in France. If I said “America” or “California,” I would confuse and anger people. Yeah. And the more angry they got, the more I would resist telling them, because I could tell they felt they had a right to know. A lot of times, they would just be like, “Well, you’re Chinese, right? You’re obviously Chinese.” I would just say, “I don’t answer that question.” And they’d be like, “Oh, why not?” And I would say, “for political reasons,” and then they would stop asking.

Q: The title doesn’t end with a question mark, like you’re presenting it as a statement. What was behind that decision?

Originally, this was the title of my NYU MFA thesis, which was a much earlier version of the story collection, and it did have the question mark. As I got closer to publication, I kept looking at the question mark, and I’d think, “This isn’t working. This doesn’t belong in the title.” For some reason, it just wasn’t landing. I think the statement is part of the reason that it lands better, that people are making a proclamation and it feels a bit more like a demand or even an idea, the concept of “Where are you really from?”

Q: What was the process of collecting these stories into a book that reads as a really cohesive whole?

I was at NYU doing my MFA, and I came in with a chapter and a half of “Disorientation” written, and my whole plan for the two years was to workshop the novel as I was writing it. I workshopped the first chapter, and quickly realized I couldn’t do that. That plan just fell apart because I realized having that feedback when I didn’t have a clear path forward hindered my creative process, and I could see myself getting really lost and pulled in these other directions.

I thought, ‘I love short stories. They’re what I first started writing in undergrad when I was taking creative writing, and I was just writing what interested me.’ I would just follow where my obsessions led. I had this goal, I’m not sure how subconscious it was, but I wanted to write Asian and Asian American characters that I hadn’t seen before. That was also true of “Disorientation.” I was tired of not recognizing myself and the people around me in any media.

I didn’t want my characters to feel boxed in. I just wanted them to be people, and I wanted them to be flawed, because if someone’s not flawed, I’m not interested in them. I don’t think perfect protagonists exist. Eventually, I think it was the end of my first year or beginning of the second year, I had written so many short stories, and I thought, “Am I creating a collection?” I started to think about them a little more intentionally. But it wasn’t until I was revising the stories after “Disorientation” had already come out that I had to reconfigure it. Ultimately, the stories that persisted were the ones that were the most psychological. I think that heart and that darkness or willingness to really see into the darkness of characters, those were the ones that moved me the most. The ones I was afraid to write, or afraid to show to others, ended up forming the collection.

Q: What went into deciding how to sequence the collection?

It was actually very hard. For whatever reason, it felt like the most organic story to begin with was the earliest story, “Carrot Legs.” That story dates back to 2016 and was actually in my MFA application packet. It goes back to the beginning of my writing career, when I was still learning a lot about myself as a writer, and the story has changed since then, of course. And after that, I would sort of think, “OK, how can I slip into the next story in a way that is not too identical in tone or mood?” I try to vary them, but not in a way that the difference in tone or mood is shocking.

Q: A lot of the stories here take place in a world that resembles our own, maybe is our own, but with these subtle, ominous differences where things just seem slightly off. How do you go about creating these kinds of alternate worlds while still having the stories be grounded in realism?

I think sometimes it happens inadvertently. At the outset, I don’t necessarily plan the world to feel that way, but then something in me wants to do it. Something is not sort of satisfied by the hard parameters of literary-fiction realism, even though that was the tradition I was raised in. People might be surprised, but one of my favorite short story writers is Lorrie Moore. She’s so granular, and I aspire to that, her ability to have these really tiny moments, but they become so vast in her stories. I think I’m still writing in that tradition, and I’m never trying to float too far away, but then there’s the other part of me that is just fascinated or tickled by the ways I can push reality a little bit. –

Elizabeth and Horace Henry have brought the listening bar experience to Palm Beach County.

The dynamic duo’s Off The Clock Listening Bar & Restaurant in Lake Worth Beach blends a foodie philosophy and family vibe in a high-fidelity music space that singularly selects spinning vinyl records on high-end audio equipment. The trend has been bubbling up, particularly among young urban creatives — or “yuccies” — for the past 10 years, though its history stretches much farther back.

“A listening bar is designed to give you an experience of a sense of nostalgia and also to complement the environment based on how it’s designed with the sound,” Horace says. “So it’s a very pure-quality sound and it’s a very pure vibe that you have to be there to really understand what that feels like. …

“Vinyl is one of the most pure sounds.”

The trend took off from Japan, then it made its way to New York, Miami and Los Angeles, he says. Locally, he credits Dante’s HiFi+ in Wynwood as an inspiration.

“I would say Dante’s is one of the first bars in Miami that curated a room that was hi-fi,” he says. “I don’t remember his name specifically who [initially] curated a listening room, but it was in Japan. They wanted to create an atmosphere where the music can be a little bit loud, but loud enough that we can still talk, have a good time, have some good drinks and be in a place where it doesn’t feel so clubby.”

So what are the Henrys feeling these days?

“I’m an old soul,” Horace says. “My wife is an old soul too. So I like the era of neo-soul and funk and disco. … And then I grew up in Jamaica as well, so I love old-school reggae. I think music speaks to people. ”

WINDING UP THE CLOCK

The Henrys, who are both restaurant consultants too, met and got their start in the hospitality business while working at The Breakers Palm Beach. Then there were stints at The Boca Raton (Major Food Group) and Broken Sound Club before the couple started their event production firm, Off the Clock Editions.

Now they have a landing place for all of the chic-culinary/fashion-forward events they’ve been staging around Palm Beach County for years at Off The Clock Listening Bar & Restaurant, which officially opened Nov. 2 in the space that formerly housed Not So Bizaare Ave Cafe.

“This place has always been an icon within our community and it’s something that we always thought, ‘This is such a beautiful building,’ ” Horace explains. “We were already holding events [here] and were already in the process of trying to find a home for ourselves. I think it was a very divine moment that it was available.”

EATING ON THE CLOCK

The head chef is Reginald Burgess, whose experience includes Walt Disney World Resort, Major Food Group and Carbone Miami.

“Chef Burgess has taken it upon himself to own it. He’s so talented,” Horace says.

But Horace, who is Jamaican American, is also quick to point out that the influences span throughout the Caribbean.

“We have a lot of friends within our community who are from different countries in the Caribbean, so we took a little influence from different places: Trinidad, Cuba, Jamaica, the Lesser Antilles,” he says. “The French had a lot to do with the style of cooking within the Caribbean.”

And there is also a reflection of their family life with the menu’s dishes.

“Horace cooks a lot of Jamaican food and uses a lot of spice with his food,” says his wife, Elizabeth. “So we kind of wanted to incorporate that because I enjoy it so much, our kids enjoy it so much. It was very much a representation … of our home. We wanted to bring it from home to the table.”

The menu includes:

• Starters such as Salt Cod Fritters with Sauce Créole and Jerk Style Wings.
• Hand-held options like The OTC Burger and the Jerk Cubano.
• Side dishes of House Mac & Cheese, Coconut Rice and Peas and Tamarind-Glazed Plantains.

Of the foodie philosophy behind the culinary direction, Elizabeth adds: “Obviously Horace being from Jamaica and I’m culturally from Kansas, so our backgrounds are kind of very different. But when he started cooking for me at home, I got to try a lot of dishes that I’ve never had before and enjoyed all of it. … We learned how to start plating things and visually [create] a perspective of what we liked, so it’s a bit of what we live every day.”

THERE’S NO VIBE LIKE HOME

The decor at Off The Clock is designed to reflect the Lake Worth Beach home the Henrys share with their two young daughters. Horace says it didn’t go unnoticed during a family-and-friends night they had before the opening.

“The coolest thing one of our guests … said: ‘A lot of people pay a lot of money to create spaces to look like this, to be as authentic as possible. But this is a space that you guys live every day and that you designed to look like your home. That alone is priceless.’

“We stay on brand — our lifestyle is our brand. So we wanted to keep that same vibe.”

Both agree that integral to that vibe is to avoid packing people into the venue.

“We want to make sure that you’re enjoying that experience sitting down — and the food and the cocktails and the ambience — without it being overly crowded,” explains Elizabeth. “So that was our main concern. We want to make sure that that’s what our vision is in this space, to execute that.”

EVERYONE IS BEING CLOCKED

Like that feeling of home, the Henrys want everyone to be comfortable when visiting Off The Clock.

“We want you to come here and feel safe and enjoy your time and not feel judged,” Elizabeth says. “For women … you can come by yourself and go to the bar and feel safe. That’s important for me as a woman.”

Horace adds that he thinks of his daughters in creating the restaurant’s atmosphere and energy.

“Our environment is super diverse. That’s very important to us because our daughters, they are going to grow up where you’re white, you’re black, both sides,” he says. “A lot of things that we are doing now, our kids are our main motivation because we need to have a space where they are accepted. But not just our kids, I mean my sister, she’s gay right? And I want to have a space where I make sure that people around them are … accepted in all sorts of forms.”

Off The Clock, at 921 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach, is open Tuesdays to Sundays. Visit otceditions.com or call 561-897-8791.

‘The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne’ by Ron Currie; Putnam; 368 pages; $29

The Babs of Ron Currie’s unwieldly titled “The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne” is a lesson in contrasts — a fiercely loving, protective mother who is the ruthless head of a crime syndicate in small, economically depressed Waterville, Maine. She regularly gets together for coffee and chats with a group of women who’ve been her friends since high school. They also are “lieutenants” in her vast criminal operation.

Currie delivers a searing action-packed crime tale with a heartfelt family drama in “The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne.”

Babs has no illusions about her children. She knows her daughters are burdened with emotional baggage. Her oldest, Lori, a Marine veteran, has had several near-fatal overdoses and struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. Lori is now charged with finding her missing younger sister, Sis, whose husband, Bruce, finds out how far Babs’ wrath can go after he gives her grandson a black eye.

Currie balances the problems in her home life with the troubles in her business. One of her lieutenants is challenging her authority. A regional drug kingpin blames the decrease in his business on Babs so he sends the violent “The Man” to investigate.

Grief, guilt and revenge spiral through the matriarch’s decisions. As brutal as Babs can be, Currie keeps the reader firmly on her side.

The characters are shaped by the area that fuels their choices and way of life. As Currie writes, people could say the area “had seen better days, except it never really had.” In the past, writes Currie, “people had more trouble than money,” and that never seems to have changed.

“The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne” is the first of a planned trilogy that should follow a theme Currie sets early in the novel: that generations are a chain, “one link leading to and binding the next.”

Meet the authors

Ron Currie (“The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne”), Brendan Slocumb (“The Dark Maestro”) and Dan Chaon (“One Of Us”) will discuss mysteries and thrillers during the Miami Book Fair beginning at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, 300 NE Second Ave., Room 2106, Building 3, second floor, Miami. Visit miamibookfair.com.

It’s easy to find all the food you need in mega-supermarkets. But if you’re getting bored with the same old products, give yourself an extra hour and lose yourself in one of South Florida’s many international grocery stores.

The effort will open up a new world of exotic produce, unique cuts of meat, drinks, breads, sweets, cosmetics and products unfamiliar to most Americans.

We are lucky to have an abundance of these markets in South Florida. They’re mostly mom-and-pop shops or parts of small chains. There are also some larger national chains, but we limited this story to stores that can only be found locally.

International specialty markets in Broward and Palm Beach counties have a tremendous following; just ask the readers of the Sun Sentinel’s foodie Facebook group, “Let’s Eat, South Florida.” May these markets continue to thrive and prosper to keep our region diverse and welcoming to all sorts of eaters.

INDIAN

Spice Bazar Fresh Market, 5601 S. University Drive, Davie; 954-514-7861; spicebazar.us

Most Americans have probably never heard of brands such as Paras (dairy items) and Maggi (noodles, soups, sauces), but this little market carries these and so many others that are well known in India. There are also fresh fruits and vegetables, freshly ground spices, dals and Indian sweets.

WEST INDIAN/CARIBBEAN

Sheiks Bakery & Roti Cafe, 184 N. University Drive, Pembroke Pines; 954-441-4895; sheiksbakery.com

Groceries at this Guyanese market and restaurant include Caribbean hot sauces, spices and chutneys as well as vitamins and other natural remedies. There’s also fresh produce and homemade pastries and breads. Entrees include tandoori chicken and goat curry. The lunch special is a steal: An entree, such as stewed chicken with peas and rice, is only $6.75.

Also: Bedessee East-West Indian Foods, 4000 NW 12th St., Lauderhill (954-583-3700, Facebook.com/bedesseeFL); Pompano Supermarket, 11 NE Third St., Pompano Beach (954-783-7279; Facebook.com/PompanoBeachSupermarket)

LATIN AMERICAN

Mexican Supermarket Food, 2099 W. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach; 561-871-0338;  mexicansupermarketfood.com

When Weston real estate agent Darnell Aponte posted in “Let’s Eat, South Florida” that he was looking for preseasoned carne asada, chicken al pastor and chorizo, several readers recommended this market/restaurant. Besides selling produce and spices, the store has an extensive Mexican menu of freshly made tacos, soups, sandwiches, enchiladas and pupusas.

Also: La Hacienda Farmer’s Market, multiple locations (fruterialahaciendafarmersmarket.com); La Ranchera Meat Market, multiple locations (larancheramm.com)

BRAZILIAN

Boca Brazil Supermarket, 22819 State Road 7, Boca Raton; 561-372-0777; bocabrazilsupermarket.com

Bring your Portuguese translation app to Boca Brazil, where almost all the products come straight from South America, including oils from the Copaiba tree, Ouro Branco white chocolate bonbons and Melitta coffee. The on-site butcher will cut meats to the customer’s preference. Customer Carolina Auster, of Boca Raton, buys the pão de queijo (cheese bread) and Guaraná Antarctica drinks as they remind her of her hometown, João Pessoa. There’s also a fun little district of Brazilian shops in this mall, including a bakery, a jeweler and a restaurant.

SOUTH AFRICAN

Dutchy’s Gourmet Sausages, 401 S. State Road 7,  Plantation; 954-533-2828; dutchyssausages.com

Featuring South African and British items, Dutchy’s is heavy on the meat offerings, including boerewors (sausages) and biltong (jerky). There are also meat pies, including steak and kidney and lamb curry. Yummy koeksisters (fried pastry), buttermilk rusks and cereals, canned goods, jams and coffees are also available for purchase.

WEST AFRICAN

Safari African & International Market, 7172 Pembroke Road, Miramar; 954-279-0727; Facebook.com

This little 2-year-old market sells many items you don’t normally see on South Florida shelves. Carotino cooking oil, made of African palm oil, is used for frying and baking. Palm cream, consisting of palm nuts, is used for soups and stews. Attiéké is a side dish from the Ivory Coast made of fermented cassava root. Homemade dishes include jollof rice, waakye (Ghanaian rice and beans), pepper soup and tuo zaafi (corn flour porridge).

MIDDLE EASTERN

Mediterranean Market & Deli, 327 Fifth St., West Palm Beach; 561-659-7322; mediterraneanmarketanddeli.com

This crowded deli and market has been around since 1972 and has developed quite a following, with lines out the door during many lunch hours. Get a dish to-go and fill your refrigerator with their dips, freshly baked pitas, soups and baklavas. Try the Vegetarian Combo, which lasts for several meals; it’s overflowing with hummus, baba ghanoush, bean salad, falafel and grilled vegetables. The Spicy Chicken Kebab has just the right amount of cayenne pepper and lemon, and comes with rice and salad.

Al Salam Market, 1816 N. University Drive, Plantation; 954-916-6266; alsalam-restaurant.com/market

On its website, Al Salam describes its mission like this: “Many feel disconnected from their cultural roots and are left craving a genuine, home-cooked meal that doesn’t just fill the stomach but also the soul.” Thus its restaurant and market offer homemade pita bread, halal meat, freshly made entrees such as mesabaha (sauteed chickpeas) and sambousak (crispy dough stuffed with cheese and herbs or meat), as well as nuts, grains and spices from Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries.

Also: Jerusalem Market, 1757 N. University Drive, Plantation (954-839-5999, Facebook.com); Damascus Mid East Food Market, 5721 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood (954-962-4552); Yalla Markets, 6718 N. State Road 7, Coconut Creek, and 1104 S. Federal Highway, Dania Beach (yallamarket.com); Green House Bazaar, 5100 10th Ave. N., Greenacres (561-432-5100); Sultan’s Boca Raton, 151 SE First Ave., Boca Raton (Instagram.com/sultansbocaraton)

GREEK

Eviva Greek Market & Bakery, 2424 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; 954-806-2125; evivagreekmarket.square.site

The market sells made-in-Greece products such as wine and beer, Freddo coffee, bougatsa (custard-filled pastry), Epsa sodas and Papadopoulos cookies. There’s a bakery and fresh entree section that offers yummy drinks; check out the Greek Frappé, a foam-covered iced coffee made from imported instant Nescafe with ice cubes, milk and sugar.

EASTERN EUROPEAN

Euroland, 1835 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach; 305-724-1353; marsfl.com/euroland

Euroland focuses on products from Eastern European countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania. There’s an enormous assortment of sausages, bolognas, salamis and other cured meats. There’s also duck and mushroom pate and smoked herring and other fish. Check out the line of hot soups, including borscht and beetroot. The same family also runs Europa Gourmet in Hollywood and Matryoshka Deli Food in Sunny Isles Beach.

Also: World Market & Cafe, 1328 S. Federal Highway, Hollywood (954-923-2727); Old World Polish Deli, 1390 S. Federal Highway, Pompano Beach (954-366-1858, oldworldpolishdeli.com)

ASIAN

International Market, 7306 Lake Worth Road, Greenacres; 561-968-1556; asianmarketfl.com

The market offers freshly roasted duck, an assortment of Asian instant noodles, live lobsters, boba drinks, rices, tofus, sauces and spices. You can pick your favorite seafood and chefs will cook it for you on the spot for $15 to $20. The market states its goals on its website: “Our mission is to provide you with high-quality, hard-to-find ingredients that make cooking Asian cuisine both enjoyable and accessible.”

Kimchi Mart
Multiple locations; miamikimchi.com

This little South Florida-based chain is expanding quickly and will soon open a site in West Palm Beach. There are already many fans, including Dibbie Jane, who posted in “Let’s Eat, South Florida”: “Most grocery stores don’t have restaurant quality grab and go sushi, Korean snack stands, or indoor seating. But most grocery stores aren’t Kimchi Mart. … The sushi is particularly good! Fresh, bright fish and delicious balance in the ingredients. … It’s impressive quality for grocery store sushi.”

Also: Enson Asian, 7720 Peters Road, Plantation (ensonmarket.com); Mango Tree Supermarket, 6431 Stirling Road, Davie (954-797-7790, shopmangotree.com); Oriental Market, 2431 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton (561-361-3130); Vinh Hung Oriental Market, 2845 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach (561-687-3114)

EAST ASIAN

Deshi Bazar, 2166 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 561-865-7186; Facebook.com/deshibazar2011

Open since 2011, this grocery store describes itself as “Ind-Pak-Ban,” or Indian-Pakistani-Bangladeshi. Check out the plentiful fresh vegetables, organic dals, drinks, ice creams and halal meats.

Do you have a favorite specialty food store in Broward or Palm Beach counties that we didn’t include here? Send to reporter Lois Solomon at AskLois@sunsentinel.com so it can be included in a follow-up story.

The season of reindeer games means drinking games in South Florida, and this weekend there will be a few new ways to make merry in places that were already worth your time. One of them, Ray’s Hometown Bar at laidback Freehand Miami hotel, will lean into the kitsch of Mariah Carey, who, with all due respect, is to Christmas what Lee Greenwood is to patriotism. I kid, people! I may be persuaded … but it will take a Christmas miracle.

THURSDAY

Visions of sugar plums: “’Twas the Night Before …” by Cirque du Soleil, the acrobatic troupe’s first holiday show, opens at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Thursday for a run through Nov. 30. Based on the Clement Clarke Moore poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” this family friendly production follows a jaded young girl who rediscovers the magic of the holidays, set to a soundtrack of holiday classics reinvented by Cirque du Soleil. Weekend performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; noon, 3 and 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $80.50. Visit Kravis.org.

Runaway imagination: Tragedy inspires a young man to jump on a moving train, landing him in a traveling circus and the adventure of a lifetime in “Water for Elephants,” the touring Broadway musical that will have its final performances this weekend at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale. A “visually triumphant” (Sun Sentinel) combination of circus artistry, puppetry and special effects, remaining performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $48.68. Visit BrowardCenter.org.

Páez and love: The Argentina-born singer-songwriter and filmmaker Fito Páez, about 40 years removed from his debut solo album, “Del 63,” arrives on a U.S. tour with his ambition and storytelling at their peak. Exhibit A: The magical realism of his new album, “Novela,” 25 tracks of evocative, romantic poetry and imagination. And he remains a charismatic stage presence, as seen on his recent Tiny Desk Concert on NPR. Paez will perform at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Thursday at 8 p.m. Tickets are available, starting at $63.39. Visit MyHRL.com.

Forecast in the ’80s: Pembroke Pines’ Beats and Bites series will bring Throwback Thursdays to the plaza outside the Charles F. Dodge City Center from 7 to 9 p.m., featuring ’80s music from locals Juanabe, plus food trucks and vendors. Admission is free, and it’s BYO chair or blanket. Visit PPines.com/specialevents.

FRIDAY

Carey on, wayward son: You don’t need to squint to see the aforementioned Ray’s Hometown Bar done up for the holidays — with its wood-paneled walls, pool table and working fireplace (apparently, though I’ve never seen it in action), it feels like your grandma’s New Jersey basement. That’s a compliment. Beginning on Friday, Ray’s will be dressed up as Mariah Carey’s Holiday Wonderland Bar, featuring Mariah-inspired decor, cocktails, a “Letters to Mariah” station and “All I Want for Christmas Is You” on repeat. Bartender! The theme runs through Dec. 28. Visit Instagram.com/raysbarmia.

More drinks: A couple of other Instagrammable spots will get their holiday cocktailing on this weekend with the global bar pop-up called Miracle opening Friday at the Carousel Club at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach. The event, which runs through Dec. 28, will feature seasonal decor, music, themed activities and festive cocktails in newly designed mugs. Old favorites such as the Christmapolitan and the Snowball Old-Fashioned will be joined by new sips including Candy Cane Lane, Dancing Sugarplums and Blitzen Barrel. Visit CarouselClub.com/miracle. Miracle also will set up at Ravish Kitchen & Cocktails in Lantana starting Nov. 28. … A nationwide tiki-culture spinoff of Miracle is Sippin’ Santa, which will bring a tropical holiday vibe and cocktails (Sugar Plum Mai Tai, Coco Ho Ho, Frost Bite) to a redecorated Juicy Cocktail Bar in West Palm Beach on Friday through Dec. 31. Visit Instagram.com/juicycocktailswpb.

Street smart: Taking place Friday through Sunday, this weekend’s Street Fair is one of the most accessible and popular features of the Miami Book Fair, with more than 250 tented exhibitors selling books and artisanal crafts, along with live music, poetry and a variety of food from Smorgasburg Miami. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday (gates open at 9 a.m. daily). Admission is free on Friday. Single-day tickets for Saturday or Sunday are $12, $7 for those older than 62, $5 for guests age 13-18 and free for 12 and younger. Two-day passes for Saturday and Sunday cost $18/$12/$8. Visit MiamiBookFair.com.

Birds of a feather: The inaugural Deerfield Beach Turkey Trot Bar Crawl will take place in the Cove Shopping Center on Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. The event will be hosted by Cove Brewery, no strangers to fun events and community involvement, and will benefit Nina’s Place, a free community market and pantry serving local families. Bring a canned item to donate and you’ll receive a card to get stamped when you make a purchase at five stops on the crawl. Return the card by 6:30 and you’ll be entered in the 7 p.m. raffle. Festive attire highly recommended. Stops will also include Casa Maya Grill, St. Pat’s Irish Pub, SeaSide Subs, Patrizia’s, Pilar and Won-Tom’s. Visit Instagram.com/covebrewery.

Piercing the veil: Grammy-winning country singer Carly Pearce arrives at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Friday, a concert originally scheduled in 2024, but it turns out we’re better off for the delay. Pearce has been working on new music and just released a compelling new single, “Dream Come True,” which pulls back the curtain on the personal cost of success. The Hard Rock Live audience will be one of the first to hear the song after Pearce performed “Dream Come True” live for the first time at the Grand Ole Opry last Saturday. Tickets start at $42.30 at Ticketmaster.com.

Brick house: Engaging singer-songwriter Ben Folds will bring his Ben Folds & a Piano tour to the Coral Springs Center for the Arts at 8 p.m. Friday for an evening of eclectic promise (psst: he released his first Christmas album last year). Special guest Lindsey Kraft will open. Tickets start at $64.50. Visit TheCenterCS.com.

Up in Smoke: Country-rock ramblers Blackberry Smoke will share music from their excellent Dave Cobb-produced album “Be Right Here” at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale on Friday at 7:30 p.m. A few tickets are available, starting at $52.81. Visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.

SATURDAY

Fowl ball: The 39th annual Delray Beach Turkey Trot 5K returns to Anchor Park on Saturday morning for a scenic loop along the oceanfront that is the envy of runners across the country. Registration is $35 for participants age 15 and older, $25 for those younger than 15. Register in advance at VictorySportsMgt.com/dbtt5k or on site beginning at 6:30 a.m. The run begins at 7:30 a.m.

St. Nick time: Traditionally one of the best and brightest early holiday parties kicking off the season in South Florida is the Holiday Tree Lighting at Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton on Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m. You’ll find a holiday market, live music, costumed characters, snow flurries, an array of food vendors and Santa, natch. The switch is scheduled to be flipped on the tree covered in 50,000 LED lights at 7:15 p.m. Visit MiznerAmp.com.

Classic Celia: Celia Sinfónica is a unique tribute concert that will transform the favorite songs of salsa icon Celia Cruz into sweeping symphonic arrangements, performed by the FIU Symphony Orchestra and a team of vocalists and instrumentalists. Catch the concert at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $64.34. Visit ArshtCenter.org.

Saturday laughs: Comedian, actor and sometime PGA Tour correspondent Katt Williams comes to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Saturday at 8 p.m. Scattered tickets are available, starting at $83.90. Visit MyHRL.com. … The Fort Lauderdale Improv in Dania Beach will host Comedy for the Dogs at 2 p.m. Saturday, featuring headliner Carl Rimi, Bob Rayhart, Eric Rosenblum and host Jenny Baitch. Proceeds will go to A Dog Named Black Jack Animal Rescue Recovery Inc, a California nonprofit trying to expand in Florida (visit ADogNamedBlackJack.com). Tickets cost $33.85 at ImprovFTL.com.

Crazy eight: Mathews Brewing Co. on Saturday will host Brewapalooza, a celebration of eight years as a critical hub of craft beer and local live music in Lake Worth Beach. The free party will run from 11:30 a.m. to midnight and feature sets from Jordan Richards, The Live Tribute, The Cure tribute LoveCats and Pearl Jam tribute Still Alive. There will be a souvenir glass giveaway (with first purchase) beginning at 11:30 a.m., and it can be filled from 12 anniversary taps and beer releases throughout the day. Admission is free. Visit Facebook.com/mathewsbrewing.

SUNDAY

Turkey Tikka: Masala Mantra, the inventive Indian restaurant in Royal Palm Beach, will host Friendsgiving Brunch & Beats on Sunday, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Putting an Indian twist on Thanksgiving, the menu will include several entree options, among them Turkey Tikka Masala, along with a Paneer & Corn Chaat appetizer, Pesto Naan and Pumpkin Spice Kheer, among other items. Cost: $25 a person. The universally beloved bottomless mimosas will cost $20 extra. Visit MasalaMantraRoyalPalmBeach.com.

Mercury rising: The internationally touring concert One Night of Queen, featuring tribute band Gary Mullen & The Works, will bring all your favorite Freddie Mercury anthems to Pompano Beach Amphitheater on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $42.82. Visit PompanoBeachArts.org.

Take the kids: The free Winterfest Family Fun Day will take over Esplanade Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering the Broward College Snow Mountain, the Polar Express Slide and other activities, free Water Taxi rides, live music from School of Rock, cookie decorating by Publix and adoptable dogs from Good Karma Pet Rescue. After the event, the Museum of Discovery and Science (across the street) will offer free admission from 3 to 5 p.m. Visit WinterfestParade.com.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell. 

You know how a cold snap for us is around 70 degrees? Yes, it’s truly paradise. But that sunny subtropicalness can make it a little tricky to get into the Christmas vibe.

After all, the best we can do for a winter wonderland is white sand beaches, with SoFlo Santa rocking a tank-top, shorts, flip-flops and shades.

If that’s got you feeling all Grinchy, here’s something to soothe those yuletide yearnings: a roundup of holiday-themed shows in Palm Beach and Broward counties.

Please note: Ticket prices may not include fees and taxes. Also, we will continue to refresh this list, so you may want to keep checking back.

Enjoy the shows!

”TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE …’ BY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

Based on Clement Clarke Moore’s iconic poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” Cirque du Soleil’s first holiday show is making its SoFlo debut with this West Palm Beach run.
WHEN: Nov. 20-30
WHERE: Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach
COST: $57.50-$155.25
INFORMATION: 561-832-7469; kravis.org

PARIS BALLET & DANCE’S ‘THE NUTCRACKER’

This staging of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” will feature Paris Ballet dancers from ages 3 to 18 as well as guest artist Caelan Gagnon, a Paris Ballet alum training with the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York. “The Nutcracker is the perfect way for the entire family to ring in the holidays,” said Jean-Hugues Feray, the Paris Ballet founder/director and choreographer for this rendition. “I am proud of all my students for their dedication, and I look forward to welcoming Caelan back to our stage as the Sugar Plum Cavalier.”
WHEN: 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22
WHERE: Eissey Campus Theatre at Palm Beach State College, 11051 Campus Drive, Palm Beach Gardens
COST: $49-$60
INFORMATION: 561-207-5900; parisballetdance.com

‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’

The Wick Theatre will produce an elaborate staging of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” with a large cast and a score by Broadway legends Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens
WHEN: Nov. 28-Dec. 24
WHERE: The Wick Theatre & Museum Club, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
COST: $89-$119
INFORMATION: thewick.org

ONE JOYOUS NIGHT GOSPEL CONCERT

Grammy Award-winning and gospel music superstar — and co-star of the Broadway musical “Hell’s Kitchen” — Yolanda Adams is the headliner for this holiday show. Soul/R&B-gospel ensemble Sensere will also perform. The event is presented by the City of Lauderhill as well as WHQT Hot 105 and WEDR 99Jamz radio stations.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2
WHERE: Lauderhill Performing Arts Center, 3800 NW 11th Place, Lauderhill
COST: $85-$125
INFORMATION: lpacfl.com

FLORIDA GRAND OPERA’S ‘SILENT NIGHT’

Based on Christian Carion’s Academy Award-nominated 2005 movie “Joyeux Noël,” this opera recounts the extraordinary moment during World War I when Scottish, French and German soldiers laid down their weapons to share a night of peace. The production is a team effort between Florida Grand Opera (FGO), The Atlanta Opera and Opera Carolina. “Launching our season with ‘Silent Night’ is deeply symbolic,” FGO general director Maria Todaro said. “It reminds us that even in times of division and despair, there is always a moment when humanity prevails. Music becomes the common thread that binds, heals and restores.”
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 and Dec. 6
WHERE: Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
COST: $54-$215
INFORMATION: 954-462-0222; fgo.org

”TIS THE SEASON’ CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA FUNDRAISER CONCERT

With an ensemble of more than 150 musicians, this benefit concert from the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Broward College will spotlight holiday classics, movie favorites and singalongs.
WHEN: 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6
WHERE: Bailey Hall at Broward College, 3501 Davie Road, Davie
COST: $15
INFORMATION: eventbrite.com

SERAPHIC FIRE’S ”TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS’

The Miami-based professional a cappella choral ensemble will present its signature candle-lit Christmas program throughout South Florida. “Somehow the music of the Christmas season brings that sensation of eagerness and hopeful wonder back to all of us, whether we’re 5, 55 or 95,” conductor James Bass said. “That’s what we will be trying to capture in this program. Seraphic Fire’s holiday concert is the perfect way to start the season.” In addition to Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton, performances will take place in Coral Gables, Miami, Cutler Bay and Naples.
WHEN/WHERE:

• 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at All Saints Episcopal Church, 333 Tarpon Drive, Fort Lauderdale
• 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton

COST:

• $68 general admission; $85-$95 reserved (Fort Lauderdale)
• $65 general admission; $85-$95 reserved (Boca Raton)

INFORMATION: 305-285-9060; seraphicfire.org

FLORIDA INTERGENERATIONAL ORCHESTRA’S HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA CONCERT

Now in its 20th season, the Florida Intergenerational Orchestra — as the name spells out — unites children, parents, grandparents and retirees into one music group, with members ranging in age from 8 to 96. “This concert is all about joy, connection and community,” said conductor Lorraine Marks-Field. “It’s wonderful to see generations performing side by side, sharing the gift of music together.”
WHEN: 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7
WHERE: O’Shea Hall at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 22094 Lyons Road, Boca Raton
COST: $23.18-$44.52
INFORMATION: 561-922-3134; flioa.org

QUIRKY CHRISTMAS CABARET

South Florida-based entertainer Jennifer McClain returns for a third consecutive year with her mix of classic Christmas tunes, comedy, singalongs and a few surprise guests.
WHEN: 8 p.m. Dec. 9-11
WHERE: The Foundry, 2306 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors
COST: $37.50-$53.50
INFORMATION: ronnielarsen.com

‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY’

New City Players has a new take on a Christmas classic with Frank Capra’s iconic movie reimagined as a radio play, complete with live Foley sound effects and a cast of five actors voicing almost three dozen characters. “Most people are familiar with ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’” said producing artistic director Tim Davis. “While the style and venue of this show will feel fresh, at its heart the story remains the same: A man who has felt like he has lost everything realizes that what is most important in his life all along has been his community.” Doors open an hour before showtime for cocoa, carols and a curated menu from The Palm Cafe at General Provision in Fort Lauderdale.
WHEN: Dec. 18-21
WHERE: General Provision Downtown, 300 SW 1st Ave., Suite 155, Fort Lauderdale
COST: $30-$35
INFORMATION: 954-376-6114; newcityplayers.org

Four years after closing his acclaimed vegan kitchen, chef Rahein Jones is back in Delray Beach with an enduringly noble goal: to make vegan comfort food taste better than regular comfort food.

This time, though, the plant-based food pioneer is bringing his approach to the highest-profile perch of his career — buzzy restaurant-row Atlantic Avenue.

True Vegan by Chef Rahein, which soft-opened Nov. 15 at 123 E. Atlantic Ave., a short block east of Old School Square, is a reboot of his fan-favorite eatery, The New Vegan, which shut in late 2021. It touts a refreshed, familiar menu of VFC (that’s vegan fried chicken for you carnivores) and a new roster of soft-serve ice cream, pasta fagioli soup and pizza flatbreads that Jones describes as “the menu everyone remembers, plus more of it.”

Jones, 49, tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel he felt “humbled” as 300 prebooked reservations streamed in and out of his modest 850-square-foot cafe over the weekend, swapping old memories with the chef.

“This mother and son who came on Saturday was the same mother and son who came on the very first day I opened my restaurant [The New Vegan in 2013], and I couldn’t believe it,” Jones says. “The mom was like, ‘You had no freaking clue what you were doing back then — now look at you! And I said, ‘It’s been over 2 million meals that I’ve made just to get me here.’ ”

He has a new backer in business partner Billy Koorse, a Palm Beach County-based investor and customer-turned-friend who dined at Jones’ old restaurant “two, three times a week,” he says. Koorse and Jones linked up last year as the chef was scouting potential storefronts in Wellington.

“I said, ‘Forget Wellington,’ ” Koorse recalls. “Atlantic Avenue is ready for Rahein. I’ve always found his scratch proteins so unique. Most vegan food I eat is either too spicy or too dry. But with Rahein, there’s just an explosion of flavor.”

Jones’ True Vegan is small — 65 seats between its dining room and sidewalk patio — yet its recipes have a mighty reputation. His mushroom burger, a porcini-ground chickpea blend topped with lettuce, tomatoes and housemade sauce, won the Boca Burger Battle in the “Best Alternative Grill Master” category twice, in 2015 and 2016, and online hub HappyCow once ranked Jones’ last restaurant among its top-rated vegan eateries worldwide.

Everything is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and non-GMO, but Jones is quick to insist the menu is approachable and never preachy about converting carnivores to a plant-based lifestyle.

“We’re not trying to convert anyone. It’s not like you’re in my restaurant and there are fists in the air,” Jones says. “The idea was always to create better options for [the] elderly, for children, for people with celiac [disease] or other health issues, and have better options in this food desert.”

“Food desert” may sound like a stretch for cuisine-rich Delray Beach. Health-conscious eateries Ripe Delray, Whole Green Cafe, Wild Celery and others abound. But Jones’ True Vegan, for now, is the only all-vegan restaurant in the city.

“I wanted to make vegan food great again,” Jones explains, adding that he mimics the flavor and texture of meat using only fruits, vegetables and spices. “If you’re not in control of the product from the bottom up, you’re not really in control.”

Jones is a true vegan now, but it wasn’t so long ago that he considered himself a new one. He became a vegan 12 years ago, he recalls, after an uncle’s friend visiting from New York “who looked 30 but was really 50” described his a “weird diet” that somehow excluded eggs and meat proteins.

“I was like, ‘Where did you get your protein from?’ because I’d never met a Black vegan before,” Jones says. “And he says, ‘I get my protein from broccoli and nuts and seeds.’ Then he turns the question around: ‘Where do you get your protein?’ And when I list the animals, he says, ‘All the animals you’re eating are vegan, too.’”

For Jones, that eye-opening moment — along with researching the health benefits of veganism and cattle industry abuses — caused a radical lifestyle change. Then came the 2013 opening of The New Vegan in Delray Beach’s Pineapple Grove Arts District, where Jones cooked dishes as simple as they were delicious.

At its peak, there was also an outpost in West Palm Beach’s Northwood Village, then a food truck on a patch of farmland off Lantana Road near Florida’s Turnpike. All closed due to flagging sales as South Florida emerged from the pandemic. 

Jones grows mushrooms and a pungent herb named black turmeric, the key ingredient in most True Vegan dishes, on his 5-acre Loxahatchee farm, while sourcing other fresh produce from nearby Gratitude Garden Farm. That’s where he spent “a very difficult” five months inventing an all-vegan pizza ($19-$20 per 10-inch flatbread) that mimics the lactose-heavy cheese, zesty sauce and “wood-fired taste,” all without a wood-fired oven.

“Great-tasting pizza is one of the most difficult items to get in the vegan community,” Jones says. “It was a lot of trial and error.”

Count Sean Russell, the Miami-based blogger, podcaster and plant-eater behind the social-media handle SoFlo Vegans, as a fan of Jones’ flatbreads, which include Margherita, mushroom, sausage and veggie styles.

“The cheese on the pizza was probably the closest I’ve had to the real thing in a long time,” says Russell, who visited True Vegan on Saturday.

Other new vegan dishes include soft-serve ice cream ($10, chocolate or vanilla), protein bowls ($16) and wraps ($17.50) like the Mediterranean, a black turmeric patty with broccoli, scallions, diced tomatoes, peppers, garlic, red onion, lemon and house rice. There’s also an expanded menu of new soups ($10-$13) include split pea (dried split peas, vegetable broth, yellow onions, celery carrots, crispy mushroom patty crumble); and pastas ($19-$20), including mushroom bolognese and lasagna.

That’s in addition to old New Vegan favorites like Vegan Fried Chicken ($13), a protein that’s actually made with jackfruit and cauliflower; a creamy tapioca-based mac ‘n’ cheese with quinoa pasta ($13); and a tuna melt on sourdough ($18) made with hearts of palm instead of fish. For dessert, there are all-vegan cheesecakes and carrot cakes ($12 per slice).

Jones says a breakfast menu is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2026 with “chickn ‘n’ waffles,” though it is far from finalized. Because the restaurant closes at 2 a.m. on weekends, there will also be “night bites,” late-night fixes for Atlantic Avenue carousers emerging from the clubs.

“I love that we’re taking care of folks at all hours who need a bite to eat,” Jones says. “We have to take vegan food to places it’s never gone before.”

True Vegan By Chef Rahein, at 123 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, is now open. Call 561-266-3399 or go to True-Vegan.com.

The Miami Book Fair kicks off on Sunday at Miami Dade College’s downtown Wolfson Campus for a run through Nov. 23, culminating in the signature three-day street fair beginning Nov. 21.

Perhaps even more so this year, the depth and diversity of writers and voices coming in to take part are a distinctive achievement for the organizers.

Among the highlights this weekend is an appearance by songwriter Kenny Chesney, the country-music star of stadium-filling renown, who will talk about his memoir “Heart Life Music” with co-author Holly Gleason at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, a gathering long sold out.

Other highlights include:

• photographer and culture warrior Sally Mann (7 p.m. Nov. 19)
• newly appointed U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze (8 p.m. Nov. 20)
• local pals Dave Barry and Carl Hiaasen (4 p.m. Nov. 22)
• chef and traveler Padma Lakshmi (10 a.m. Nov. 22)
• restaurateur Keith McNally (noon Nov. 22)
• sports journalist S.L. Price (3 p.m. Nov. 22)
• DJ and producer Arthur Baker with music scribe and filmmaker Nelson George (5:30 p.m. Nov. 22)
• Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jonathan Capehart (2:30 p.m. Nov. 23)
• Reginald Dwayne Betts reading from “Doggerel,” his book of poetry set among dogs (3 p.m. Nov. 23)

Note that many author appearances can be accessed with a free ticket, others with tickets for purchase.

This year’s Miami Book Fair is featuring a Jewish Life & Culture program, with the popular Street Fair hosting appearances by notables in the literary world. Listen to cartoonist Art Spiegelman during a discussion on “Maus,” his seminal work on the Holocaust; Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, who will present her memoir “Heart of a Stranger”; and novelist Gary Shteyngart, who will participate in a panel discussion.

For more information, visit MiamiBookFair.com.

Jewish Journal Editor Jessica Tzikas contributed to this report.