The James Collective’s Ultimate Thanksgiving
How the PR pros who live, eat, and breathe food & wine are celebrating Thanksgiving this year.
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
With Thanksgiving on the horizon, The James Collective team is already planning what their holiday spreads will look like. So get your wine glasses + eating pants ready; we’re sharing our ideas for the best yet Thanksgiving spread.
Amelia Ware
Since moving to California from the East Coast six years ago, I’ve gone to the same Thanksgiving each year and their traditions have become mine, all the way down to their tablescape. They always set the table with centerpieces of gardenias, floating in beautiful crystal bowls.
When the meal ends, everyone who stays over is offered a bowl of gardenias to bring to their room, so they fall asleep and wake up to the incredible scent. When the pandemic forced us to spend the holiday separately, I ordered from High Camp to carry on the tradition on my own.
While this typical Thanksgiving always includes two turkeys for the 25 or so attendees, in 2020 I spent the holiday with just my parents, who are not turkey people. After some research, we settled on something new for all four of us: a capon. For the uninitiated, a Capon is a male chicken that is gelded at a young age and then fed a rich diet of milk or porridge.
It’s slightly smaller than a turkey but far more flavorful than any other poultry you might find on a holiday table and paired beautifully with my favorite side, New York Time’s Mushroom Bread Pudding by Susan Spungen: dried porcini, sage, Gruyère, brioche, cognac… need I say more? For a Capon, I’d recommend finding a good farm or butcher and ordering one stat; it was the best Thanksgiving bird I have ever had. For a little “which came first” debate, I recommend starting happy hour/apps with some deviled eggs.
For drinks, I’m a firm believer in the mantra “Magnums show you care.” There’s something that just makes sense about having 1500mL bottles of wine distributed around the 25-person table (yes, I have been in attendance at a Thanksgiving dinner where two turkeys are cooked).
In no particular order, some of the best magnums that I’ve lugged to my North Berkeley Thanksgivings are a Quivera Zin, Unti Grenache, and a Pax Gamay. This year, I’ll be bringing a Flowers Pinot Noir and since my father-in-law will be in attendance, I’ll have the Alibi Aleworks Golden Mocha Stout on hand.
Kim Elwell
My wine list entails bubbles to start, usually something local from Domaine Carneros, Schramsberg or Iron Horse. Gundlach Bundschu’s Gewürztraminer is always a holiday favorite, then I’ll be pouring this magnum of the 2018 Stampede Zinfandel from my friends at Maitre de Chai alongside dinner.
As for food, I am a gravy snob + this is a day to indulge, so yes, I pour it over everything ( + help myself to thirds). If you F up the gravy or mashed potatoes, you are dead to me. And if I must eat something green, I make a shaved brussels sprout salad with pecorino + toasted almonds. The rawness + freshness is a nice addition to the traditional, classic Thanksgiving dishes we all love. (And yes duh, you can add gravy to this.)
Alison Seibert
When you live with a winemaker, wine often is more of a centerpiece than the turkey. There’s always champagne, but while we spend most of our meals pairing our way around the world, for Thanksgiving, we keep it local. And what’s more local for us than Gail Wines, made right here in the Sonoma Valley by my partner?!
We keep it rather traditional, but I love making curried sweet potato pancakes in lieu of the classic marshmallow-topped dish. My mom started this tradition years ago, and it stuck around. To finish the (savory) portion of the meal, I’m also a fan of a beautiful plate of fennel… a little unexpected, but the nicest digestif and palate cleanser.
I also want to make a case for Friendsgiving: I adore my family, and we have spent most of our holidays together throughout the years. However, I’d like to make a case for Friendsgiving to the uninitiated. The holiday season, for me at least, is full of family time, so there’s something special about Friendsgiving as a time to gather your ‘other’ family. Decidedly lower pressure, generally with more dogs (and bottles of wine) than children, Friendsgiving is the perfect chance to spend countless hours around a dinner table. Better yet, get everyone to bring a dish to contribute and give your kitchen (a little bit of) a break.
Devinne Zadravec
My love for Thanksgiving knows no bounds, it is without a doubt my favorite holiday. My family has always prided themselves on their love of the non-traditional, though it’s funny to me how years later all of our non-traditions have evolved into well-respected rituals in their own right.
We usually hold our gathering in Portsmouth, New Hampshire—the quintessential New England town and the perfect backdrop for the kickoff of the holiday season. My family filters into my aunt and uncle’s house from all up and down the east coast–all twenty-five of us, plus three dogs, and whoever decided to bring a friend, roommate, or other plus one (or three!)
The first non-tradition: we don’t set a proper Thanksgiving table. Our celebration is buffet style, but a buffet with a reputation: stacked high with classics like roast turkey, mashed potatoes, apple, cheddar, and shallot salad with homemade vinaigrette (made with a little Maille, of course!) Aunt Jen’s famous mac n cheese, fresh focaccia from Elephantine Bakery down the road, as well as decidedly non-traditional favorites: bean and cheese enchiladas, gluten-free tarts, vegan & vegetarian casseroles.
The dishes take up an entire kitchen right-angle. In the living room, we have a dual setup: the dessert and drink bar. The bar is almost as impressive as the buffet—complete with chilled whites, delicious reds (I’m partial to a pinot), and the ingredients for every mixed drink you can imagine. Of course, there are also coolers of our favorite beers chilling on the porch. Pecan and pumpkin pie, as well as cookies and vegan/gluten-free treats lay in wait beside all the drinks—every year, it doesn’t take long for someone to start sneaking sweets beneath the tin foil wraps!
We didn’t have a chance to celebrate our big gathering the way we typically do last year, I’m so looking forward to the return of our zany Zadravec Thanksgiving this year.