When we think about holiday appetizers, we tend to go all in on cheese or charcuterie plates, dips with crudité and some kind of easy to eat, breadlike snack, like cheese straws or crostini. But there are other ways to approach a holiday app — and if you come up with the right collection of elements, taken together they could even make for a delicious meal.

That’s what I found when I approached chef Logan Kendall of the new Hillcrest restaurant Cellar Hand. Kendall has developed a California-meets-Mediterranean approach for his menu. For my latest story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section, he came up with a trio of dishes that could each be a delightful party appetizer, or collected into a singular and very distinctive meal.