Thanksgiving Traditions and Recipes from Firehouse Readers

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on everything that you are grateful for. Whether it’s family, a special pet, schooling, to be alive, to eat your next meal; this doesn’t change within the fire service.

A tradition-rooted fire service loves taking advantage of the holidays. 

We want to share with you some of the stories, traditions and recipes from various departments throughout the United States.

Don’t Break the Turkey Platter

When now, Capt. Raymond Casanova of the Hutchinson, KS, Fire Department was placed at Station 1 in 2005, the building had three brass poles, dating the firehouse out of modern technology.

Therefore, the pipes couldn’t manage having a dishwasher, which meant dishes were done by hand.

There was this one specific platter that was used to hold a barrage of food from sandwiches to turkey, if it happened to be a holiday shift, Casanova recalled to Firehouse.

"We were told it had been there since before the dawn of time and that if we broke it, to just pack your stuff and leave. It was yellowish from being so old and had those little cracks in the porcelain that remind you of your hands when it's cold outside,” said Casanova. “There was some kind of artwork on the face of it, but it was long scrubbed off and you could hardly see any of the ink on the scrolled edges of it. I understood why my grandmother would own such a platter but never fully accepted why a bunch of firemen would use it and at the same time cherish such a delicate piece.”

The platter didn’t fit well in the cabinets, so it was stored on top of them.

“So it set on top at an angle, almost like it was being displayed or daring someone to touch it. I hated seeing someone reach for it while making chow. I knew it was just a matter of numbers, the more we used it the better chance it would get broken,” said Casanova.

Casanova recalls carrying it from the table to the counter with two hands after he had cooked supper one night.

“It must have satisfied everyone because the engineers offered to do dishes,” said Casanova. “I still don't know if I owe my soul to Satan for getting me out of the kitchen that night, and if I do it was worth it!”

All of a sudden there was a loud noise that Casanova remembers to this day.

“I've heard a sonic boom a few times in my life growing up near McConnell Air Force base and I would say it was eerily similar. The sound hits you physically first and then there is a slight silent pause as you process the situation. Fight or flight kicks in and you begin to make rapid decisions on your next move,” said Casanova.

It was the sound of something hitting the countertop, then the sounds of the multiple pieces rattling. Casanova compares it to a hubcap rolling away and coming to a rest after a car accident. Then, there was utter silence.

Everyone ran to the kitchen and saw the turkey platter in five large pieces. A blame was a set one individual, and so the entire crew began to recreate the scene in some effort to, according to Casanova, “find a way to blame the cabinet, the builder of the station, checked the USGS website to see if there was any unusual seismic activity in the area, anything!”

An attempt at trying to glue the platter back together was to no avail. Searches began all over eBay to find an identical one, but during the search, it was discovered that the “turkey platter” was a Homer Laughlin made in the 1940s. At the time, there was one going for less than $10, and it was the furthest thing from valuable or rare.

“Sometimes I wish I would have looked that up sooner and days like today I wish I never would have. The lore was worth so much more. I suppose that goes for lots of things in the firehouse,” said Casanova.

From one story to a whole book, some of the best Thanksgiving recipes are on deck.

Joseph Bonanno Thanksgiving Cookbook

The host of his own cooking show and author of “The Healthy Firehouse Cookbook," retired FDNY firefighter Joseph Bonanno shared with us some of his top Thanksgiving recipes, along with his very favorite bread pudding dish.

“I developed this bread pudding that is really off the charts. I’m not one to brag about my cooking, but that is one of the ones that I would put up against any body’s,” said Bonanno.

Bonanno got the inspiration for his bread pudding from his head chef when he was culinary training. From there, he developed his twist to it. Instead of using Brandy to soak the raisings in, Bonanno uses raspberry liqueur. The recipes will be below.

While a recipe may not turn out the way it looks in the book, what you can count on is that with time, you will find the right touch. Some recipes get handed down decades and generations, just like this next classic Thanksgiving lunch. 

The Classic Thanksgiving Meal

Every year at the Wylie, TX, Fire Rescue fire station, a Thanksgiving lunch is held for city’s employees. It started in the 1990s, but the first one was officially logged in 1998.

At first, the numbers were in the 70s, and it did move locations to a senior center for a couple years but returned to the firehouse. It started, simply, because someone suggested they make food for everyone. Now, Wylie Fire Rescue hosts over 300 people every year.

The shift that is on duty before the lunch will stay up and smoke turkeys and hams all night. The sides come from a local diner that also donates food on Thanksgiving to first responders.

The event is good for the newer city employees, including firefighters, to get to know each other more. Retired personnel show up to the event, making it less of a bridge between the new recruits and honored retirees.

The event even made it through the thick of Covid-19 by having it on the bay floor with the doors open. With food in to-go containers for people to grab instead of buffet style. Fire Chief Barndon Blythe recalls the effort that was put in to meet all social distancing requirements.

“We were doing a lot during Covid-19 as a department, and that was probably one of the times that our folks stepped up the most organizationally, to be able to continue on with everything we were doing for COVID, plus cook a serve and be able to keep that tradition going,” said Blythe.

The desserts are said to go the fastest, along with the smoked turkey being a fan favorite. However, the dish with strong memories behind it belongs to the sweet potatoes. A long-time admininstration for the fire department, Cheryl Smith, was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in a short time frame. Smith was known to make a wonderful from-scratch sweet potato dish.

Administrative Assistant Shelly Hennig-Hoffman and several others in administration still make Smith’s sweet potatoes. Hennig-Hoffman was given the recipe, so every year they make the dish and place a picture of Smith up next to it.

“It’s pretty much an all hands on deck. It is. Our city employees tell me constantly this is their favorite event of all the city. They love to come to the station and have Thanksgiving. All of us get together to just be grateful for everything that we have here at the city of Wylie,” said Hennig-Hoffman.

Thanksgiving Casserole – Everything you need in one bite

Every other year on Thanksgiving, firefighter/paramedic Joe Healy, who retired after an injury with the Uxbridge, MA, Fire Department, picks a different firehouse each year to cook for in the area to help save the food while the crews get called out.

Healy makes a Thanksgiving casserole that includes turkey, veggies, cranberries, gravy and more, along with a side dish that of either squash or sweet potato.

“I started making this when I was on Uxbridge, MA, Fire for my crew. People would have thirds. I also would make it at home for my daughter, she would have thirds. I am currently a field sales consultant for Henry Schein EMS, so this is my small way of giving back,” said Healy.

From the staff of Firehouse, we wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!