Q: What will I receive in my Villa Herbert Cake Package?

A: You’ll receive two pieces of cake per member of your Villa Herbert Cake Bubble, plus a couple of little extras (including the Villa Herbert Christmas card). Yes, you have a choice as to which kind of cake you receive - the cakes are listed below. And yes, the famous Nikolaustag boot chocolates will be provided.

Q: How will it work? Do I just drive by with my windows open and you’ll toss the Villa Herbert Cake Package into my car?

A: That’s one way of doing it. Or you could come to a stop and I’ll bring the Cake Package to you. Or you can park on the street, get your lazy rear end out of the car, and waddle over to the Cake Package staging area at the front of the Villa where we can exchange some seasonal pleasantries.

You can come by anytime between 2 and 5pm on Sunday, December 6, 2020.

Q: Usually you let us bring our sweet honeybuns or well-scrubbed offspring. Is that still the case this year?

A: Of course! You can order two pieces of cake per member of your cake bubble. (And don’t try to fool me by saying that, given 2020’s “end-of-the-world” vibe, you’ve joined a doomsday cult and now have 4 partners and 15 children. I won’t fall for that.)

Q: Have you instituted any health and safety protocols?

A: Your well-being is the Villa’s top priority. The Villa’s elves will be isolating for the two weeks prior to the curbside pickup. When working in the kitchens, they will be wearing their caps and washing their hands often, as per usual, but they will also be wearing masks when baking and prepping the Yuletide packages.

Q: You always hold the Villa Herbert Christmas Party on the first Friday of December. It has become a tradition, like Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October, or Prof Meltdown Day on the third Wednesday of March. Why are you breaking tradition in such a callous fashion?

A: COVID-19 is disrupting every aspect of our lives. But there is a thin silver lining: it lets us shake off the shackles of tradition and rethink how we do things. A good friend of mine, an avid partygoer, suggested that I didn’t actually have to hold it on the traditional first Friday since it was no longer an event where everyone would be coming to eat and drink themselves silly after a long week/term/year. Another advantage of holding it on Sunday, December 6 is that we get to use the Villa Herbert Christmas Party to mark Nikolaustag two years in a row! How special is that?

Q: Getting a piece of cake is nice and all, but what about the cornucopia of meats and salmon and cheeses and breads and fruit and nuts that are served at the party? How am I supposed to make do without those? And all those wines on the kitchen island - oh how I love those! How am I supposed to survive 2020 without the wine???

A: I feel your pain, I really do, but the pandemic has forced the Villa to lay off many of its elves, and providing an à la carte ordering service for the buffet and beverages is beyond our present capacity. We are happy, however, to provide you with the Vincenzo’s and LCBO receipts containing the names of all the food and drink that were procured for last year’s fête. You can purchase these yourself and recreate the Villa Herbert charcuterie in your own home!

Q: You usually ask that no one bring gifts to the party. Does that apply to the Curbside Edition as well?

A: Yes, it does. I have everything I need in life - a job, a comfortable home, 90+ pairs of socks. I want for nothing, but of course I’m grateful to you for thinking of me. If you feel a need to give, consider making a donation to the United Way or the Food Bank. They need our support this year more than ever.

Gateau truffé au chocolat

A luxuriant, nearly flourless chocolate cake with a hard dark chocolate icing. For the refined palate.

Apple streusel cake

Nomen est omen. A good excuse for whipped cream. (Whipped cream not included.)

Dutch almond koek

Almonds, butter, flour. What more do you need? Voted most popular Villa Herbert cake three years in a row.

Sour cream coffee cake

Moist, rich coffee cake with streusel topping. Plain yet elegant. Like me.

Lemon-frosted pistachio cake

Ever eaten a cake with rose water as an ingredient? Now’s your chance. (And while we’re at it: what is rose water?)

Chocolate bundt cake

Dense, not too sweet. You’ll want ice cream with it. (Ice cream not included.)