Since Turkey Day is all about remembrance, gratitude, and over-indulging on delicious food, we asked Urban Crust executive chef Salvatore Gisellu to dish on a memorable Thanksgiving moment and his plans for this year.
The picture above was taken in 2007 when Gisellu re-created Thanksgiving dinner for his son Matteo's kindergarten class. One classmate liked the turkey so much that he stuffed extra meat in his pockets to take home.
Born in Italy, Gisellu became an American by choice in 2004. Every Thanksgiving morning, Gisellu takes his sons to the restaurant and helps them make a dish for dinner. This time around, they're making garlic bread knots for the group of about 30 people who will stop by their house throughout the day.
After that, his wife Jeanne Marie will join the family to cook for troops who are being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan with the World Master Chef Society. Then they'll head to their vineyard, Lugna Vista, in Fairview where they plan to spend the rest of the day with friends and family. Gisellu says they typically end the day in the backyard around a fire with vino and cheese.
As far as cooking goes, they order take-out (Fearing's is a favorite) or cook everything themselves. In either case, Gisellu usually stays out of the kitchen—he'll eat anything he doesn't have to cook. (He's responsible for the meat, however, because his wife avoids it at all costs.) She takes care of the family favorites: stilton walnut crackers, timballo, celery salad with parmesan, cranberry salad, wild rice with fried peppers, etc., although she rarely makes the same thing from year to year. [The Feast]
