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Turkey Day alternatives plentiful around Tahoe

Susan Wood
JIm Grant / Tahoe Daily Tribune / Celtic Catering line cook Desmond Schneider slices leeks for a potato-and-corn leek soup.
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One South Lake Tahoe restaurant expects to have its busiest day of the year today – and workers won’t be serving turkey.

Kentucky Fried Chicken will keep its doors open during the Thanksgiving holiday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in anticipation of a rush that requires much more than a skeleton crew.

“Everybody’s working. Last year, I worked at the ‘Y’ store and the lobby was full. People ate out at the picnic tables with snow on the ground and sat in their cars,” said Paul Lowe, assistant manager for the Ski Run Boulevard location.



He attributes the busy day to the number of visitors in the area.

For all the holiday’s tradition, there are times when it becomes obvious – life is different in the Tahoe basin.



Marriott Events Supervisor Lindsey Kaufman arranged for chef Michael Jacobson of Celtic Catering to cook up a feast for its 120 staffers working that day at the Grand Residence Club and Timber Lodge.

“Taking care of our guests is important, but taking care of our employees is important too,” Kaufman said.

Dory’s Oar Restaurant, home base for Celtic Catering, became Ground Zero on Wednesday for a massive assembly of a half ton of food to feed the Fremont Street customers, their workers and Marriott’s crew.

Jazz blared over the speakers that afternoon as the kitchen crew prepped the food.

“You’ll have to taste this. We take our gravy very seriously around here,” Jacobson said, bringing a cup of the veal- and duck-based concoction.

From the main course to dessert, the action is not reserved to the independent eateries – or even restaurants for that matter.

Safeway has prepped 200 turkey dinners for those with no time or no inclination to cook. At least three quarters of the meals will be gone by today, store manager Tom Nobriega estimated. That’s about the same amount as last year, but nationally this appears to be a trend in American’s hectic lives, according to recent reports.

The Safeway meals, which serve six to eight people, come with turkey, cranberry, stuffing, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes and apple pie for $29.99.

At least one major chain, Marie Callender’s, has baked a conga line of pies for the holiday because every year they’re consumed. More than 700 pies have been cooked in a variety of flavors: pumpkin, apple, pecan and mince, for doling out between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. today.

Louise Schumaker of Sacramento picked up her pumpkin pies early, showing up at the restaurant on Tuesday.

She and her husband Chuck have already been gnawing on the turkey and stuffing she pre-cooked at home.

“Mine is made with corn bread,” she said.

Schumaker also brought green beans and cranberry sauce to round out the menu today at her South Shore time-share unit.

– Susan Wood can be reached at (530) 542-8009 or via e-mail at swood@tahoedailytribune.com


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