Stuffing. Turkey. Gravy. Cranberry sauce. Those are the ingredients of a classic Thanksgiving dinner. But have you tried them in a New Orleans po-boy?
Justin Kennedy, general manager of Parkway Tavern, has perfected the art of fusing the holiday's flavors with the sandwich. Standing in the restaurant’s kitchen, he oversees an assembly line of cooks who slice, stack, and drizzle ingredients onto their creations every Wednesday in November.
“It ain't nothing fancy. Just good home cooking,” Kennedy said. “But people love it.”
Po-boys, or “Poor Boys” as Kennedy calls them, are quintessential New Orleans sandwiches with working class origins dating back to the early 20th century.
Kennedy looks like a po-boy mastermind. He bounces around the kitchen, wearing a white apron and a round paper hat that says Parkway Tavern.
“Get you a nice toasty piece of New Orleans french bread, toast that up,” he said. “And as you can see, she puts the stuffing on, three healthy scoops.”
After the stuffing is on, next up is the turkey. White meat only.
“It's hard to get those consistent slices with the dark and I like consistency,” he said. “So, we take the dark roll and put it into the dressing. So you're getting all that flavor.”
/ WWNO
The feast of a sandwich is finished off with a healthy pour of gravy, before it’s wrapped up and put in a container.
Kennedy spends most of his year making more traditional Poor Boys, with shrimp or fried fish. He got the idea for a Thanksgiving version almost two decades ago as a way to boost sales, and customers went crazy over it.
“It got so insane and it was like, ‘Man, I'm ready to stop this because it was just too much anticipation,” he said. “People waiting outside with lawn chairs. You'd run out at 2 o'clock in the afternoon.”
That demand wore out Kennedy and his staff. After a decade, he was ready to give it up. But then, a longtime employee of his passed away from skin cancer.
Joe’s death inspired Kennedy to reach out to a local charity to team up and keep the tradition going.
“He was a sweetheart of a man,” he said. “If it wasn't for him, I don't think I ever would have did it.”
The charity is the Al Copeland Foundation, named after the late New Orleans entrepreneur and founder of Popeyes Chicken. Copeland also died of cancer.
Today, along with sponsors, the charity helps put on their Thanksgiving po-boy operation, and a portion of the proceeds goes towards fighting cancer.
Long lines are a regular, and some customers wait up to 30 minutes. Byron Suberby has been coming for two years, and was there Thursday with his friend Lisa Ferraro.
“It's really messy, but it's really delicious,” Suberby said.
“We made a point of getting here today,” Ferraro said. “It's also his birthday. So this was a very special birthday thing for us to do today.”
Customers buy thousands of the Thanksgiving Poor Boys each year–all for a good cause. Kennedy, the manager, said it feels right that his tradition has grown into what it is.
“Thanksgiving is about family. It’s about people you love and friends,” he said. “Being with the ones who are here. Reminiscing on the ones who aren't here. And, this food just makes you think of that this time of year."
