R-FH Area Friday: Buoy Tree, RFH Grads’ Book Signing, Holiday Stroll and Santa

Friday night promises to be a festive holiday night in Fair Haven.

It all starts at 5:30 p.m. with the annual tradition of Santa coming to town, or, rather, getting a ride down the street in a fire truck to visit with the kids. Then there’s the holiday stroll, replete with horse-drawn carriage rides through the business section, and a book signing at one of those businesses, River Road Books.

The book signing this year is a special one. It’s for Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) graduates and owners of former Fair Haven vegan eatery Seed to Sprout who wrote a cookbook, Seed to Sprout Kitchen.

There’s also the relatively new tradition of the buoy tree.

It all starts with the buoy tree and aiming to get your buoy on the tree in front of Borough Hall before the Holiday Stroll, which is sponsored by the Fair Haven Business Association …

Here’s the scoop on the buoy tree from Foundation of Fair Haven President Susan Sorensen:

Buoys are for sale for the Fair Haven Holiday Buoy Tree at www.foundationoffairhaven.org or stop in to Canyon Pass.

This (new) fun and holiday-spirited fundraiser benefits the Fair Haven Beautification Committee. If you already have your 2026 Buoy, please drop it off at Canyon Pass ASAP.

We would like to hang as many as we can prior to the Holiday Stroll on Friday. We will continue hanging through Dec 23.

The Holiday Stroll, in the meantime, will be running, with a concentration in the historic section, at the businesses along River Road. Of course, Santa will arrive in Memorial Park shortly after the start. And the stroll continues through 7:30 p.m. with festive celebrations and goodies along the way.

Here’s the stroll scoop …

And at one of the stops, River Road Books, two RFH grads, Alex Mazzucca Lopez and Cara Pescatore Deurr, will be home again to sign copies of their cookbook, Seed to Sprout Kitchen. You may remember the eatery that started in Fair Haven.

Here’s the scoop on the book and signing …

RFH grads, Alex Mazzucca Lopez and Cara Pescatore Duerr, are the creators of the iconic Jersey Shore plant-based café, Seed to Sprout.

Since moving from the Fair Haven spot, the two have been operating their super successful vegan restaurant on Main Street in Avon-by-the-Sea for the past 13 years. With a devoted following, this iconic Jersey Shore café has become the go-to spot for plant-based cuisine and pantry staples and has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, as well as in Chowhound, The Luxury Spot, Martha Stewart, and other high-profile places.

The hardcover, case-bound, 200-page glossy, full-color cookbook that the duo just recently published is their first and they hope for it to become a “staple in every plant-based kitchen” that they say is “uniquely interactive” due to the way it was published.

Sprinkled throughout the book, there are QR codes that link directly to videos from the authors. “In these fun, engaging clips, Alex & Cara give tips and guide you through tricky techniques where more explanation might be helpful.”

“A passion for whole, unprocessed, organic foods are the foundation of all things Seed to Sprout. With this new cookbook, you can nourish your body from the ground up, while making and eating delicious foods that fuel your soul, never compromising nutrition for flavor. Seed to Sprout Kitchen will entice you to: eat plants, always eat organic, eat with the seasons and have fun.
Alex Lopez and Cara Deurr

In addition to the 200+ recipes in the book for everything from breakfast, sandwiches, bowls, soups, main dishes, baked goods and beverages, the authors also share: products and brands they love, their favorite kitchen tools, meal prep tips, a checklist of pantry staples, and a gorgeous fold-out section for a plant-based pizza party.

See you around the town strolling and savoring the holiday traditions!