Once upon a time, it was one of the great Thanksgiving Day traditions around here. You’d pour yourself a cup of joe, open the newspaper (memba dat?) and read through a list of reasons why the author of the column you were reading was thankful in that given year. Inevitably, there were lots of smiles, maybe even a laugh. You’d wrap it up, turn on the parade and get back to cooking-largely already in progress. A feel good way to start the day, I think. So I am.

I’m thankful for the deli ladies at Publix (any location) that not only understand, but are well-versed, in the concept of “very thin, please”

Speaking of which, I am always thankful for the Triple Decker Turkey Club Sandwich at Crystal Beer Parlor. Savannah’s best. And of course, thankful that last week’s fire was (in the big picture) minimal and everyone got back to work in a few days.

I am thankful to see continued growth in and around Savannah. Not everything about it is perfect, but one less blighted section of the city is better than it used to be. When otherwise empty warehouses, or eyesores of a building are becoming new restaurants, everybody wins.

Thankful for the fresh bread that Natasha Gaskill and her team at Sixby offer every single day. (Photo above) I think they are providing bread to maybe half the restaurants in the general downtown area. Yes, Auspicious and Stevedore also do great bread, but you need to try Sixby if you have not already. Sandwiches, too. Great lunch spot.

Speaking of bread, I’m ever thankful for Bill Vissicchio at Rocky’s of NY Deli in Sandfly. Why? He created an authentic NY Deli, cool. But as they become more successful, he’s using that volume to convince more delivery trucks from “back home” to make it down here. All you have to do is get a text from him to see how excited he is about some new “authentic from Staten Island Semolina” he’s now using at the shop to know that his passion is insatiable. It’s an obsession to make this as close to anything you’d find in Greenpoint or Rego Park. I know I appreciate it and so do you. If you know, you know.

Thankful to the Thompson Family for keeping Savannah’s culinary icon, Mrs Wilkes Dining Room, going strong in the face of higher food costs, higher wages and just an overall a steeper mountain to climb every single year. FYI, if you didn’t know, they announced they’ll be closed beginning January 1st for about 5-6 weeks for their annual Winter break.

The Milkshake Factory on HHI. Yes, it’s a chain. No, I don’t care.

Thankful to have had the honor of serving as a Judge for the 2025 James Beard Awards, America’s highest culinary honor. A pinch me moment, for sure.

For Cuban Sandwiches at Casa Guava on Drayton Street, who previously announced they will be closing at the end of the year. Bummer. Get ’em while you can.

And thankful to Sea Sea’s Honey Hole, a Port Royal, South Carolina bait shop, for offering us the next best thing in the Cuban Sandwich department around here.

Yacht Rock and Disco. The particular order depends on the particular day.

Thankful to family members you travel with who make for such a great time, that you practically book the next adventure before you’ve gotten home from the one you are on.

To that end, thankful to have seen my mother’s native Puerto Rico for the first time this year. As well as Northern California’s Redwood Forest.

Thankful that my daughter, Alexandra, has made the move from New York City to Los Angeles look effortless. She’s now moved to both cities without really knowing a soul, and in both cases has met any challenges head on with the strength of a hundred grinches, times two.

Will not forget my wife, Sheila, who keeps the house from burning down.

Thankful for the food at Bao Bab in the JW Marriott. Anything they serve. All of it.

Thankful for magical lunches at Olive and Fig in Bluffton (although the address reads Hilton Head Island) as well as the Side Boob from the Slap Truck Food Truck. Chicken Sandwich pictured below.

Thankful for quiet hangs at Pinkie Masters, when someone says, out the blue, “wanna do a shot?” Smoke ’em if you got em.

Thankful for my Savannah tribe and the new friends that have entered the fold. Too many to name without feeling like I’ve slighted someone. You know who you are.

Not to be ignored are my peeps North of the Savannah River. Dawn, Margaret-we call her Maggie, Brooke, Monica (Jacobs and Collins), Marcia, Rochelle and Lisa, Cindy, and Kelly Smith.

Amanda Cifaldi. Full Stop.

And, of course, thankful to all of you for taking the time to read this and consume anything else we create in promoting the food scene across the region. We are very proud of the fact that we produce more food-centric content in this region than anyone (and it isn’t even close) and grateful to no end that you continue to consume it.

Happy Thanksgiving and the rest of your holiday season!

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