As home to many award-winning restaurants, you know you can rely on us to bring you the best when it comes to perfecting your Thanksgiving spreads. We’ve checked in with Chefs Andrew Schneider and Therese Hittman at Le Rêve Patisserie and Café and Chef Jose Gonzalez at Eldr+Rime to get their insider tips on creating the most delicious and enjoyable Thanksgiving offering for your family and friends to enjoy. Take a look at what they had to tell us:
What’s your favorite part of the holiday season?
Jose - My favorite part of the holidays is the time I get to spend with my loved ones.
Andy - My favorite part of the season is spending time with family and friends in the kitchen cooking. With at least 4-6 dogs monitoring floor scraps. We have multiple chefs in the family so we love comparing notes.
What’s your go-to dish for Thanksgiving?
Jose - My go to dish for Thanksgiving is the turkey with gravy from the drippings.
Andy - I love a good roasted apple and cider dressing/stuffing.
Are there any ingredients you think make a huge difference but are often overlooked? Where are your favorite local spots to get ingredients?
Jose - Fresh ingredients make the difference and making as much as you can from scratch and care. I like to go to local farmers markets.
Andy - When you make a dish you grew up with and love, you tend to focus on the small things like fresh ingredients and seasoning everything. You don’t get the same motivation from a quick recipe search online. Local ingredients are great and represent a lot about yourself. Go to a local apple orchard or market and get fresh apples and fresh cider. My secret to my stuffing is knowing Bill Stone, the owner of Brightonwoods Orchard.
How do you style your Thanksgiving table or serve your dishes for a “wow” factor?
Jose - The “wow” factor to me is always having something people don’t expect. I love to do a smoked turkey andouille with red beans that blows people away.
Andy - I do what Therese tells me to do and it always turns out amazing. She has the ability to decorate and cook while making everything look beautiful.
Any advice for balancing a large menu and making it approachable for home cooks?
Jose - My advice to home cooks is to not wait until the last minute. Prep time is huge! Take your time and make everything with love. People will notice the difference, and you will be happy you did.
Andy - Break everything apart in the dinner into steps over a few days. This is how chefs work in the industry. The worst thing you could do is stress out and work the entire day when your family wants to spend time together. If you don’t have time in your schedule, support a local business. Le Reve and Troquet can do just your desserts or cater most of your meal. You can hide the containers, and it will be our secret.
If you could give readers one piece of chef wisdom for Thanksgiving, what would it be?
Jose - My advice would be to enjoy it and know why you’re doing it. Nothing beats sitting down with your loved ones and enjoying your hard work.
Andy - Thanksgiving is a good time to focus on what makes your family meals into a tradition to be passed on. I love seeing recipes and helping people learn the techniques to keep a meal that is special to their family consistent. Future generations will understand why grandma’s food was legendary. Don’t just scroll through recipes online that don’t have that connection.
Not much of a cook? We’ve got you covered with pre-made and pre-planned options. Take some of the load off by shopping the Tosa Farmers Market Pre-Thanksgiving Market or pick up a dessert you know everyone will love Simma’s Bakery.