Thanksgiving. We all have our traditions. At my house, the appetizer (as if we need to whet our appetites for Thanksgiving) is a family-size chicken nugget platter from Chik-Fil-A. About 15 of us pick at it while cooking the actual meal.
I know a couple who forego Thanksgiving cooking altogether and just visit a Chinese buffet. Another friend has a father who insists on making a complicated meat explosion called a Turducken. It’s like one of those Russian dolls, but with layers of turkey, duck, and chicken piled together. Yum?
There’s one group of professionals that you’d think would know Thanksgiving better than the rest of us: chefs. So, we decided to ask some local restaurant owners and chefs how they spend Thanksgiving. 🦃
A few told us they cook an elaborate meal with family, but others liked to spend the holiday with their feet up on the couch and a big plate of Kraft mac n’ cheese in their lap.
What are your traditions? Big turkey with family? Or a Chinese buffet gorge-fest? Hit us up on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or email us at hello@noogatoday.com.
Rebecca Baron, executive chef St. John’s Restaurant
“For Thanksgiving, I’m much less a traditionalist. In the midst of the holiday season at the restaurant, I look at it as a day where I can truly relax and do whatever I’d like. So my being nontraditional has turned into my tradition. I typically make macaroni and cheese, a salad and then usually duck or chicken. And then I always enjoy putting on a nostalgic movie like “A Christmas Story” or “Home Alone.” I like to spend Thanksgiving reminding myself that I don’t need to spend the whole year taking care of everyone else. That sometimes it’s good to relax and spend a day recharging. Ya know, sit back and smell the roses or the duck in the oven.”
Amanda Nelson, owner Dish T’Pass
“Our favorite family Thanksgiving tradition was birthed over a decade ago when we had “all the cousins” coming in from all corners of the U. Ss, a crowd 20+ strong. I solicited lists of favorite dishes, wanting everyone to walk away from the table feeling honored by their favorite being included in the lineup. Once the list was compiled we had more pies on the list than any other item. The idea dawned: “Thanksgiving Breakfast Pie Buffet.” Everyone woke Thanksgiving morning to find a spread of their favorite pies. We gorged on a pie, napped, played outside, and reconvened late afternoon for the traditional Thanksgiving spread. Afterward, we pulled out the pie remnants for that “just one bite of sweet” that rounds out a perfect meal. A dozen years later, this is still the way we begin our Thanksgiving Day and now have many other family friends that have also made this their tradition. I look forward to the texts and SM photo tags each year.”
Jason Bowers, co-owner/operator The Bitter Alibi + The Daily Ration
“My family has always lived far away from my extended family. From the mountains of West Virginia to the Costa Rican Coast, and the Central Highlands of Honduras; we always had to travel for Thanksgiving. Finally, Chattanooga has become the home of most of my family. After my recent marriage, this will be the first year of traditions. We are running the Turkey Trot, grabbing food with the family, and volunteering on Friday to help at the shelter. We have a lot to be thankful, and we are encouraging people to remember that showing love and being thankful is much more fun than stressing out about cooking and organizing family schedules. Don’t worry, we ARE deep frying a turkey.”
Ben Lee, executive chef at Flying Squirrel
“Thanksgiving Day starts with a long overdue ‘bout of sleeping in (usually I have worked a fair amount the preceding days due to holiday Christmas parties). After the dogs rouse Chloe and me out of bed at around 10 a.m., I stumble into the kitchen and start the coffee and preheat the oven. If I’m on my game the duck is already seasoned and trussed, more often than not I’m rushing to do that day-of. After wrangling the duck it goes in the oven. At that point, it’s about 11 and my Sister Eola and Mother Katrina show up. We damn near always start our thanksgiving by shotgunning PBR tallboys and tossing them in the sink with a synchronicity that can only be achieved through practice. My mother usually handles mashed potatoes, hot dishes, and, her specialty, Spinach Dip in King’s Hawaiian Bread (the kind that uses the powdered french onion packets!). My sister has taken on the mantle of making the deviled eggs. I generally proceed to drink and eat deviled eggs until I have to sloppily take the rendered duck fat and turn it into a gravy. Finally, I finish by searing a whole lobe of Hudson Valley Foie Gras. At this point, my house is usually full of friends that my job has kept me from seeing for the last few months. The crowd is rounded out by late additions of cooks and another hospitality folk. Eventually, it devolves into dipping cupcakes that someone’s grandma made into Foie Gras Fat.”
Nathan Lindley (Primo Chattanooga + Public House)
“[It’s] a holiday dedicated to food preparation and a meal. It is usually the last time I see my family for any length of time until Christmas week because of the immense pressure to execute a busy and profitable December. We move from restaurant to restaurant and gather vegetable sides, taking advantage of the great product and prep work at the restaurants and stopping long enough to enjoy a cocktail at each place.”
Nick Thiers, culinary instructor at Virginia College
“Well, as a chef and knowing how to prepare a successful dinner, my family is like my kitchen around the holidays. We all sit down and come up with the menu ... that way we don’t end up with 12 casseroles and everyone knows what to bring. Sometimes, I even give them recipes to try, and like every kitchen, I know their skill level. It just makes things easier on everyone to do it this way because the holidays are meant the for the family to be together, not getting stressed about food.
