Thanksgiving is a time to come together with family and friends who are extended family to give thanks and celebrate all we have to be grateful for.

By Caitlin Brown

 

 

Thanksgiving is a time to come together with family and friends who are extended family to give thanks and celebrate all we have to be grateful for. It’s also the most challenging of meals to bring to table because there are so many great side dishes to accompany turkey — and it takes days to assemble everything.

As the holiday looms and we wonder how on earth we can do it all — set the perfect table, be the perfect host or guest, entertain out-of-town family members, and cook — it’s not too late to get help from one or all of Rye’s culinary staples to pull off the occasion. You’ll really need help if you’re celebrating Hanukkah, which begins the night before Thanksgiving.

 

Gary and Liz Stone’s family business, Cornerstone Caterers, is all about farm to table. In fact, their motto is “no farm, no food.” That said, rest assured any dish they make is fresh, seasonal, organic, and scrumptious. (In addition to their longtime Rye business, they bought an inn in upstate New York earlier this year and have their own farm and soon their own winery.) For Cornerstone’s Thanksgiving menu, visit cornerstonecatrers.com/Menus/ Thanksgiving PFW.

While Cornerstone offers fully catered Thanksgiving service, they also have a free-standing shop at 544 Milton Road from which you can order and pick up all the trimmings: hors d’oeuvres, child-friendly foods, salads, platters, and baskets, traditional side dishes, vegetables, breads, and desserts. Call 967-0035.

The family Stone was nice enough to share the recipe for a delicious seasonal salad.

 

For the best quality and freshest meat, there’s no place like Crisfield’s at 61 Purchase Street. Owners John and Jackie Johnston and their son Dan and a host of friendly employees greet you by name and are always happy to provide helpful tips on how to make what is already great (their meats), even better with cooking and pairing suggestions. This Thanksgiving, three kinds of turkeys are available: organic, free-range from D’Artagnan and Plainville Farms (both local, antibiotic- and hormone-free), and Jaindl Farms. Also available are a number of prime meats, among them family-farmed natural filet of beef and rib roasts from Painted Hill; smoked hams from John Morrell, D’Artagnan, and Karl Ehmer.
In addition to offering standout meat and poultry, Crisfield’s makes great gravies and stuffings. Call 967-0152.

Orders are being taken now, and delivery is available.

 

Rye Country Store owners Chris Colalucci and Claire Hassi have a myriad of delicious options to make this Thanksgiving memorable. Their menu — available at the 41 Purchase Street store — includes everything imaginable: hors d’oeuvres, soups, side dishes, stuffings, cranberry sauces, pies (13 to choose from), specialty cookies, and whole roasted turkeys. Rye Country Store is also happy to accommodate gluten-free diets. If it’s latkes you’re looking for in celebration of Hanukkah, place your order. So far, Rye Country Store has taken orders for 2,000! Call 967-3450.

 

 

 

 

When it comes to festive and fine side dishes, June & Ho, the longtime gourmet market at 70 Purchase Street, never disappoints. June Park, executive chef and co-owner with her husband Ho, is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute. Along with her team, June will be whipping up tasty trimmings in the 1,500-square-foot stainless steel kitchen upstairs, which the couple built themselves. As always, her food proves her mantra that “better ingredients, make better food.”

The menu, available at the store, includes a selection of soups, traditional giblet gravy, cranberry and pear relish, various sides of seasonal vegetables, stuffings, and a small selection of traditional pies. Orders must be placed by Saturday, November 23. Call 967-1900.