The Tabletop Team’s Thanksgiving Traditions
Gobble, Gobble! The Tabletop Team is ready to feast this Thanksgiving. 🦃 Read below for our team’s favorite traditions for the holiday!
Anna McKenzie - Social Media Manager
My family travels to Cleveland, OH every year to spend the holiday with our close family friends so I typically have a very snowy, cozy Thanksgiving! Despite there only being 8 of us to feed, the head cook of the week is notorious for buying two 20 lb. turkeys, 15 lbs. of potatoes, 3 pumpkin pies, and enough side dishes to feed a small army. My favorite traditions include watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and National Dog Show with the fireplace on, going around the table to say what we’re grateful for, and watching the NC State vs. UNC football game (Go Pack!).
Julia Poole - Social Media Manager
Thanksgiving is such a sweet and special time of the year! I love to do the cooking. I am sure to make all of our favorite sides, a Turkey, and of course homemade apple pie (my favorite part). A longtime tradition we have before we start eating is going around the table and saying what we’re most thankful for. I love this and its reminder of how lucky we are to all be together! Though Thanksgiving Day is wonderful, full of food and family, the best part for me is the day after Turkey Sandwich. Here’s the secret recipe: between a roll from Yellow Dog Bakery in Raleigh we stack stuffing and turkey as high as we can with mayo and cranberry sauce. YUM!
Allie Nelson - Social Media Manager
Our Thanksgiving is usually a small gathering with our immediate family, but I love to go all out on the food! We enjoy all the traditional Thanksgiving favorites and each year I attempt to make at least one new dish. Honestly, I love cooking comforting side dishes all month long - the turkey is not the main attraction for me! I usually have some fun wines for pairing and do a little tasting for the group. Last year it was a variety of cru Beaujolais. Cheers!
Brooke Parsons - Public Relations and Social Media Manager
Thanksgiving has always been very chill for my family. We put on our comfiest sweater and typically gather at my parent’s house for a feast! After stuffing ourselves with turkey, mashed potatoes, and Grandma’s homemade pie, we lay on the couch, watch football, and get a good rest before the fun with friends begins. Every Black Friday, we get a whole group together and shop for all the best deals in our silliest Christmas attire. After shopping, we visit a local restaurant and everyone pitches in money to bless the waiter/waitress with a huge tip for the holidays! It’s definitely something I look forward to every year and the reaction on their face is always priceless! I’m excited about being in my home state, Ohio, for the holidays again this year!
Quinn Bostic - Vice President
I LOVE Thanksgiving. It’s probably my favorite holiday! My husband, son, and I go to my in-laws where we fill our plates with her delicious Thanksgiving spread. I love her turkey, chicken casserole, corn casserole, and my husband’s grandaddy’s collards. After feasting we always lay around and watch the Thanksgiving dog show while looking through newspapers for the best Black Friday deals. Such a funny but fun tradition. We head back to Raleigh after putting up my in-laws’ Christmas tree and end the evening watching Christmas movies. Such a sweet day!
Joe Zonin - Director of Business Development
My favorite holiday tradition is the chocolate pecan pie we make! It's a combination of two old recipes that are handwritten on index cards (from back when people kept recipes on index cards). Homemade crust is a must, then in goes the filling for a chocolate fudge pie and on top of that goes the Karo-y goodness of pecan pie filling with lots of NC pecans. Sure it takes twice as long to make & bake, but it's worth it!