Before the holidays our warehouse is humming. We have 3 shifts working around the clock to get all the orders picked, packed and loaded onto trucks so they can make their way to restaurants, retailers and home cooks across the country. So many Thanksgiving meals depend on us!
During the final weekend before Thanksgiving is when things reach a fever pitch. And that is when the true spirit of D’Artagnan – the “all for one, one for all!” ethos – is most evident. Read on for a behind-the-scenes peek at a staff holiday tradition.
A Thanksgiving Family Meal
Four years ago the warehouse manager asked Keisha to order lunch for 80-100 people and get it delivered by 11:30 AM on Saturday to feed the hungry crew working overtime. Nobody would deliver that much food so early in the day. So Keisha decided to cook for them herself, and she’s been doing it ever since.
Known as the “Thanksgiving Push Lunch,” it has been a D’Artagnan tradition for 4 years.
“It reminded me of my restaurant days when the staff gathered for family meal – prepared by a few of us in the kitchen – before the evening service began,” said Joelle, Vice President of Operations.
This special lunch brings the spirit of Thanksgiving into the building in a way nothing else can. It’s all because of the big heart of one woman who understands the value of a warm, homemade meal.
On the Friday before Thanksgiving, Keisha gets out of bed and starts cooking at 3:00 AM. She cooks all night. Then she packs all the food into chafing dishes and brings it to the D’Artagnan cafeteria to serve the first shift of warehouse staff taking a break at noon.
This year Keisha made 20 lbs of meatloaf, 12 lbs of garlic chicken, 200 pieces of fried chicken, 4 trays each of mac and cheese, shrimp fried rice, bowtie pasta alfredo with spinach, salad and mixed vegetables, which fed 80 hardworking and hungry people in two shifts on Saturday.
“It was refreshing to have the break and to eat a home-cooked meal – made with love. We are really grateful,” said Darion, Second Shift Lead in the warehouse.
The way Keisha sees it, this is nothing extraordinary. “We are family, and we take care of family,” she said.
Since 1985, D’Artagnan has been at the forefront of the farm-to-table movement, producing superior tasting products by partnering with small ranches and farms. We are committed to free-range, natural production, sustainable and humane farming practices and no use of antibiotics or hormones. That’s why D’Artagnan products have been revered by America’s most renowned chefs for over 30 years. We offer the same high-quality products to home cooks at dartagnan.com, along with recipes and guides to help you live the tasty life.
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