KOWALSKI’S MARKETSSpecialty: Traditional Feast
The Spread: Look to your right. Now look to your left. Chances are, one of these folks gets their entire thanksgiving spread from this local grocer. And who can blame them when it tastes like the real deal. The large feast includes a fully cooked, all-natural and antibiotic-free turkey; mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, sage dressing, cranberry relish, fresh rolls, and a pumpkin pie. The small feast replaces the full bird with a more manageable boneless turkey breast. Everything comes in foil pans, a list of ingredients, and heating instructions.
Serves: 10–12 (large) or 4-6 (small)
Price: Call for pricing.
Order: By November 21, online at kowaskis.com or at one of nine metro locations.
WILD ACRES
Specialty: Free-Range Turkeys
The Trimmings: Once you try a farm-fresh Wild Acres turkey, you’ll never look at frozen Butterballs the same way. Pat Ebner has been supplying some of the Cities’ finest restaurants and meat counters with birds since the 80s—long before the phrase “free-range” became a popular marketing ploy. He raises his Toms in Pequot Lakes with zero chemicals, natural feed, and plenty of sunshine, then delivers them from farm to table in less than 24 hours.
Serves: Varies by bird
Price: $3.19/lb.
Order: Through Birchwood Café (birchwoodcafe.com), Clancy’s Meat and Fish (clancysmeats.com), Kramarczuk’s (kramarczuk.com), Mill City Farmer’s Market (millcityfarmersmarket.org), or Wild Acres Farm (218-820-1257). Contact individual establishments for pick-up instructions.
BRASA ROTISSERIE
Specialty: Chef-Driven Dishes
The Spread: If you are one of the many who could gobble down Brasa’s fall-off-the-bone rotisserie meats and Latin-inspired sides for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, why stop there? Chef Alex Roberts turns out an all-natural Thanksgiving feast using only local, free-range proteins and organic vegetables. Everything is prepared in-house, including: Lightly smoked and roasted free-range turkey, glazed Berkshire ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, sage and onion dressing, candied yams, sweet corn pudding, cranberry sauce, coleslaw, cornbread and potato rolls, homemade cookies, and choice of one apple, pecan, or pumpkin pie.
Serves: 4 or 10 people
Price: $95 for 4 servings, $225 for 10 servings
Order: By November 19 through Brasa Catering. Email catering@brasa.us or call 612-245-1740. Available for pick-up at the St. Paul location only.
BIRCHWOOD CAFÉ
Specialty: Semi-Homemade
The Spread: If you’re willing to use a little elbow grease, Birchwood’s “Whole Kit-and-Kaboodle” is your Thanksgiving meal ticket. The down-home fixings include a DIY citrus sage stuffing mix, cranberry quince chutney, and ginger whipped sweet potatoes. Round out the meal with fresh-baked garlic rosemary bread, pillowy soft potato buns, or an unexpected pie flavor like apple cranberry ginger or surly chocolate pecan. Pre-order a turkey to cook at home and come the big day you’ll hardly have to lift a finger.
Serves: 10–15 (small kit), 15–20 (medium kit), or 20–25 (large kit)
Price: $28 (small), $38 (medium), $48 (large). Bread from $2.50, pies $22, turkeys $3.19/lb.
Order: By November 15 for turkeys, by November 21 for kits, bread, and pie. Birchwoodcafe.com
TASTEBUD TART
Specialty: Veg-Friendly Fixings
The Spread: You don’t have to be Oprah to enlist a personal chef for Thanksgiving. Molly Hermann, aka the Tastebud Tart, will be serving up generous helpings of inventive side dishes. Among them, a vegetarian savory bread pudding with caramelized onions, kale, and mushrooms, and a vegan harvest salad with roasted butternut squash and pomegranate dressing. For everyone else: mini corn muffins with blue cheese. Yes, please.
Serves: 8–10 per side
Price: $8–$29 per side, plus tax
Order: By November 12 using online order form at tastebudtart.com or by calling 651-470-1056; pick up November 23-24 at Midtown Global Market.
TURTLE BREAD COMPANY
Specialty: Just Desserts
The Spread: Like little elves, the bakers at Turtle Bread work through the night to turn out some 600 pies for Thanksgiving Day so that you don’t have to. In addition to the most popular flavor, pumpkin, they do a boozy bourbon pecan pie, several fresh-fruit renditions, a rich pumpkin cheesecake, and single-serving bars, brownies, and tartlets in seasonal flavors.
Order: By November 21 through the Chicago Ave. bakery 612-823-7333; pick-up also available at the Linden Hills location until 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving day. turtlebread.com
Serves: 10” pie serves 8-12; 9” cheesecake serves 18-24
Price: $19.99 + $3 depost for pie, $36 for cheesecake, and $.99-$4.99 for individual desserts.
