Soap Opera Digest: You've had an exciting holiday season so far!
Judith Chapman: Please, with what is happening with St. James this year — during these troubled times, it's nice to be able to do something for our community. For Veterans Day, we hosted a dinner for Iraqi vets and their spouses at St. James. What was so moving was the outpouring of the people in the restaurant. Two separate men, both former Marines, read about it in the paper. One called and said, "I know this is going to cost you a lot of money. Please take my credit card and let me contribute X amount of dollars." James said, "That's not necessary," but he said, "I really want to." So James said, "Well, come on in and have dinner!" "No, no." He wanted to be completely anonymous. Another former Marine came in with a stack of envelopes with a nice bonus amount of money in each one, which James handed out. He wouldn't go in to meet the guys, either; he wanted to be anonymous, too. Customers were buying bottles of champagne for the group. Mothers were taking their children up to meet the soldiers. They presented James with a Marine pin in the bar and everyone in the bar applauded and cheered and it was just so moving. They were so appreciative that people remembered them.

Digest: What other events do you have planned?
Chapman: We're working with the Salvation Army. James has always worked very closely with the mission in L.A., contributing and supporting that. On Christmas, we're going to be feeding a lot of people, some of the neediest families in the valley, with the Salvation Army. James will be cooking himself. What's so exciting is that a lot of our purveyors are donating food. Everybody's getting on board with this. It's not just about St. James; it's about this particular community coming together. Also, in conjunction with the Salvation Army, they have the Angel Tree Program. We're in a beautiful courtyard in front of a fountain, so it's always decorated for Christmas. We're having a special event with a huge tree — which will be donated — that has on it the names, ages and genders of children who are a little less fortunate. A person can come and take that name and buy a present for that child, then wrap it up so it has their name on it — so it's something specifically chosen for that boy or girl. It's a little like a Secret Santa. I hope James will wear the Santa Claus outfit [laughs].

Digest: What exactly is your position with the restaurant?
Chapman: It's James's restaurant. He's had it for almost 25 years. As I like to say, I get it by association. When I wasn't working, I helped him build this particular restaurant, but one day I decided, "I think it's time for me to go back to show business." But the restaurant business is show business. Now I come in and a lot of fans are coming in, a lot of people from the show who have homes down here ... I come in and play "Hostess With The Mostess." The staff kind of bristles when I come in because it's like, "The light's not quite right, fix the music... [laughs]." I was in here recently tasting a lot of the holiday dishes. I taste things and say whether I like them or not, but this time, I batted 1000! I had four courses and each one was more delicious than the next.

Digest: Are you going to cook for the event?
Chapman: James is the master chef and the kitchen staff will be helping, but I will definitely be serving and handing out Christmas presents. A lot of the Salvation Army head honchos are coming down from L.A. I'm very excited about this. This is the first time we've done this, but I don't think it'll be their last time. Christmas morning I'll be serving up food to hopefully, a lot of appreciative people. I extend the invitation to any of my soap opera co-workers to help me sling hash. Fans are welcome to stop by. I know things are difficult for many people these days, but I encourage anyone who reads this to give an extra hand, even if it's just a small thing, because it's a huge thing for those on the receiving end.

St. James at the Vineyard is located at 265 South Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA