Howdy, friends. I’m gonna be honest here, this is a hard intro for me to be writing this week. My heart really isn’t in it after watching and reading everything that transpired in Ferguson last night, with all the waves of pain and anger and disgust and shame rippling through all our cities. It’s a lot to process.
In moments like these, I am grateful for Twitter, which is full of so many poignant stories and observations right now. But in the midst of those nuggets of wisdom and insight are pictures of turkeys, and stuffing recipes, and pumpkin pie crust success stories, and selfies of people getting on planes to head home to their families. The duality of these two threads—fury and gratitude—is challenging to parse, to reconcile. Because Michael Brown won’t be sitting at a Thanksgiving table this year.
Although Michael Brown will be sitting at many tables—he is on our minds and his grieving family is in our hearts. We will talk about him and make plans for how things need to change in this world. Now.
There’s one Thanksgiving table I am particularly grateful for right now, and no, it’s not just my family’s. Tomorrow night, executive chef Sharon Nahm of E&O Kitchen and Bar is hosting another pre-Thanksgiving meal for current CHEFS (Conquering Homelessness Through Employment in Food Services) students, instructors, and their guests. It’s a thoughtful tradition they started and have upheld at E&O—I hope all the CHEFS students enjoy celebrating their accomplishments over such a special holiday dinner.
I know one person who will be celebrating is Nicole McCullum; she recently completed her internship at E&O. When Nicole started the CHEFS program, she and her family were living in an emergency shelter. Since graduating in July, Nicole has acquired transitional housing for her family, worked as a lead cook at an alcohol and drug recovery center, and is now pursuing a management position with one of the Bay Area’s leading sustainable restaurant management firms. What an inspiration.
Do you have family visiting right now? Or perhaps in the coming month? Then I have a great piece of content you’ll want to check out: The Tablehopper’s Top Picks for What and Where to Eat in San Francisco, brought to you by TripGo, who generously sponsored the piece. They understand how challenging it can be to get around a city (especially one you don’t know), so use their handy app as you tablehop throughout the city! (You can also find TripGo in the Google Play Store.)
And now, I leave you with a Tiny Hamster Thanksgiving, because, well, it’s just too damn cute.
Hugs and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Marcia Gagliardi
One of the best desserts in SF: the palmier ice cream with Calvados caramel at Monsieur Benjamin. Photo: © tablehopper.com.View tablehopper Newsletter from Tuesday, Nov 25 2014
