THANKSGIVING HELL

posted Tuesday, November 20th at 10:03 a.m.

Ok, it's true, every year I freak out on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving when I look at the big stack of orders for our Thanksgiving take-out. "What was I thinking? I don't know what I'm doing! I can't cook!"
"What if everyone gets poisoned and dies a terrible death from my food?"

Then Marcie gives me a xanax and I calm down and get to work. This year is no different. I love coming up with my imaginative menus, but I never think that anyone will actually order them!
I am hosting 50 family members here at the restaurant so I might as well make food for 400.

This is how Thanksgiving works...I am queen of the last minute preparation so the food is super fresh. Today the walk in is packed within an inch of its life and everyone is chopping away as well as getting through the lunch rush. Tonight Julio and I pull an all nighter until every last item is prepared and ready for pick up. Julio is the fastest person I have ever seen in a kitchen. This place could easily be called Souper Julio. We finish around 3:00am and then I run home to shower and head back to be here in case anything goes terribly wrong. At the end of Wednesday, the entire crew collapses in a heap, has a glass of Champagne and heads home. (Unless you are Marcie and Rachel, who are in shows now, so they head off to their 2nd job... exhausted).

As for me, I will be in a hot bath by 6:00 PM, glass of Cabernet in hand, wondering if I have poisoned anyone!
Until next year!
Have a great Thanksgiving,
Jenny