Turkey feast just a day away

Early Tuesday morning, chef Ernie Reyes helped chop and clean 26 fat turkeys — more than 700 pounds of meat — to prepare for the Thanksgiving feast at the Bonanza Inn in Yuba City.

Across town at the Stephens Farmhouse, owner Cherie Stephens led a small brigade of pastry chefs baking more than 1,000 pies — and counting.

"The key is to keep all three of our ovens going around the clock," Stephens said, wiping flour from her hands.

Thanksgiving preparations are in full gear in commercial kitchens across the Yuba-Sutter area and professional cooks like Reyes and Stephens will probably be most thankful when the monumental task of feeding hundreds of paying customers is finished.

"It's a lot of work, but worth it," Reyes said before rubbing down a volleyball-sized turkey breast with a secret spice rub.

The Bonanza Inn plans to serve up to 300 people Thursday, according to Anthony Propps, director at the Bonanza Inn.

"It's the traditional meal and it's huge — I can't finish it, no way could I finish it," Propps said.

In addition to the hundreds of pounds of fresh turkey meat, Reyes and his three—man crew heated up scores of mashed potatoes, yams, cornbread stuffing and pumpkin pie. It takes several hours for each massive dish.

And the homemade giblet gravy?

"That's a two-day process," Reyes said. "We use the real stock."

Reyes' crew started preparations Monday and even had to move out of their regular kitchen because there was no more room for turkey meat.

But, while the hard-working cooks at the Bonanza Inn have been gearing up all week, preparations at the Stephens Farmhouse began back in October.

"We took over 300 pie orders on Monday alone," Stephens said.

Plumas Lake's Rachel Valasquez picked up four pies Tuesday — three banana creams and a pumpkin — for her family's dinner later this week.

"I just moved here last year, and when I found out about this place, it was 'oh, my gosh,' just so delicious," Valasquez said.

Stephens' 12-woman crew began hand-rolling pie crusts in early October.

"This is always our biggest week of the year, and I think we're going to have more than ever," Stephens said.

Stephens' daughter, Madeline, said the secret of pie-making is "love," which sounds too cute to be true until you watch the ladies stir more than 200 pounds of fresh pumpkin pie filling — which won't last a full day — and then hand-stuff each fresh pie crust with an array of homemade fillings including apple, chocolate, peach and olalieberry.

It is already too late to place pie orders by phone, but Stephens said walk-in purchases can be made Wednesday.

"We'll be baking all day long."

CONTACT reporter Rob Parsons at 749—4785