2020 Thanksgiving with the Council
We rounded up eight of New York’s finest City Council gourmands for the ultimate Zoom potluck — a virtual Thanksgiving feast. Despite one unnamed bachelor Council Member initially trying to convince us to just order in and watch football, we assembled an impressive array of homemade dishes showcasing the rich diversity of our city. Of course all boroughs are represented, and we’ve got something for every vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, and meat eater in New York.
The Fontas Advisors team wishes you and your family good health this holiday season. We are thankful for your friendship. Now, let’s eat!
Joe Borelli: My Grandmother’s Sicilian Stuffing
District 51: Annadale, Bay Terrace, Charleston, Eltingville, Great Kills, Heartland Village, Huguenot, Pleasant Plains, Tottenville, Woodrow
Each Thanksgiving, we eat my grandmother’s Sicilian stuffing, which is nothing like your typical Thanksgiving stuffing. It starts with stir frying fresh diced mushrooms and onions, then adding chopped meat, and finally rice. Some gets shoved up the bird’s rear, but we make plenty of extra in casserole dishes. In reality, the only thing better than this stuffing on Thanksgiving, is this stuffing on the day after Thanksgiving, and on the days after that (if there is any left). Sadly, this will be the second year we’ll have to make the stuffing without my grandmother, but I am glad to have a mother and cousin who perfected the recipe. The recipe makes enough for 20 people – because, we don’t do small!
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Justin Brannan: Grandpa Matty’s Sunday Sauce & Mary Immaculata’s Mini Spinach Ricotta Pies
District 43: Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach
I grew up Italian and vegetarian. So Thanksgiving was always about the side dishes – which really are the stars of the show anyway. Instead of turkey, we would make ravioli or lasagna. My grandfather Matteo grew up in the Bronx. He pronounced boil “burl.” I mean, that’s really all you need to know. Italians definitely don’t need any excuses to eat pasta, but being a vegetarian on Thanksgiving makes it mission critical. My mom Mary is a saint. She raised me. That wasn’t easy. She learned to cook when she was like 6 years old and has been making Sunday sauce ever since. And yes, it’s sauce. Sauce is for Sundays. Gravy is for mashed potatoes. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Robert Cornegy: Soul Food Mac and Cheese
District 36: Bedford Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights
Mac and cheese is a staple in southern African-American households during the Thanksgiving holidays. In my family we compete on who can make the best mac and cheese. The children are the judges. I normally win because I paid the closest attention to Big Mama making it on Thanksgiving morning before church service. Mac and cheese was made for me by my mother to celebrate my biggest achievements such as my acceptance to St. John’s University and playing in the Final Four, NBA, and overseas. One of my connections to my deceased Big Mama and mother is through making their signature mac and cheese. I purposely left out a few ingredients — I’m trying to keep my title of “Mac and Cheese King!”
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Vanessa Gibson: Southern Candied Yams
District 16: Claremont, Concourse, Concourse Village, Highbridge, Morris Heights, Mount Eden, Morrisania
I was raised in a single parent household with a cooking mother who knew her way around the kitchen and always made sure my brother and I had a home cooked meal. My mom’s family has Virginia roots and we grew up in a soul food household. Thanksgiving is all about getting family together and preparing all the meals we grew to love, including Southern candied yams with cinnamon and nutmeg — yes, those glazed yams that can smell up a kitchen. My mom grew up during a time when she was taught to cook by her grandmother at a young age. Her cooking is the absolute best and now as an adult, it is such a blessing to take her food shopping (of course, it’s my turn to pay for the groceries) and continue those same traditions she started! Wishing a blessed and safe Thanksgiving to you and your family!
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Francisco Moya: Mama Moya’s Ceviche de Camarón y Langostino
District 21: East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Corona,
Our family gatherings — and Thanksgiving is no exception! — are an opportunity to enjoy what we love most, platos típicos from home, and my favorite is Mama Moya's ceviche! Ecuador has the best ceviche in the world. I mean, say what you will, but it makes sense since I have no doubt that Ecuador is where the dish originated. Though, the theory is that modern day ceviche is fusion cuisine, combining Ecuador’s original dish with tomatoes and limes from the cuisine of the Spanish colonists. I’ll take it, given my love for Spain. Our food is a way to stay connected to our Ecuadorian traditions and reminisce about wonderful moments growing up, which is why I especially enjoy Mama Moya's ceviche at Thanksgiving.
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Keith Powers: Guinness Pumpkin Pie
District 4: Upper East Side, Midtown East, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, Turtle Bay
When my sister and father are busy fighting over the carrots and turkey legs on Thanksgiving, my mother and I know that the real game begins at the dessert table. In my house, it's where the true pros show up. While the rest of my big Irish family falls into a turkey coma watching football, my mom and I always have our game faces on (and plenty of room left) for the Guinness Pumpkin Pie.
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Antonio Reynoso: Arepitas de Yuca
District 34: Williamsburg, Bushwick, Ridgewood
My family knows about the turkey and stuffing, but outside of the bird, it's all Dominican food. There is great pride in how much can be cooked for this one day. Having no open space on the table is a badge of honor. It's about family and love, so the food reflects this in its quantity and quality. Arepitas might not be the star of the day, but they punch way above their weight class.
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Carlina Rivera: Coquito
District 2: East Village, Gramercy Park, Kips Bay, Lower East Side, Murray Hill, Rose Hill
We use Coquito to toast the holiday season. Simply explained, it’s the Puerto Rican version of eggnog, though it has a tasty coconut flavor profile instead, and the recipe ingredients I use actually contain zero eggs. It’s an intensely rich drink that comes in shades of the perfect winter white. The best part of its sweetness is that it pairs exceptionally well with the saltier foods we expect at dinner. When I drink it, it reminds me of pure joy with my family, even when times were rough. Warning: it sneaks up on you and will immediately cause salsa dancing.