You can say what you want about Christmas, but I feel like Thanksgiving is the holiday when the most giving spirit is exhibited by members of the community. From country music singer Tracy Lawrence frying more than 10,000 turkeys over the past 20 years to chef Sterling Wright cooking for hundreds of residents of the J.C. Napier homes where he grew up, Nashville definitely steps up for the holiday.
Two particular initiatives I want to draw your attention to are efforts to feed families and first responders. Eleven11 is the new restaurant/bar in the old Piggly Wiggly store at 913 Dickerson Pike. Owners Alexis Soler, Michel Pham and Son Pham have partnered with Restaurant Depot to donate 150 chef-prepared meals to families in need including unhoused neighbors and residents of The Salvation Army. Warm meals will be available for pickup at 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day at The Salvation Army just a few blocks from Eleven11 at 613 Dickerson Pike.
On Monday, Nov. 24, Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment made a turkey drop to the Metro Nashville Police Department’s Central Precinct downtown. This is the steakhouse’s 10th year of distributing hundreds of turkeys to the men and women in blue who serve Nashville, specifically the urban core where Jeff Ruby is located.
Hopefully, the holiday spirit will spread through the city this year, so try to do something good for somebody this week!
