Celebrity chef's gourmet Thanksgiving meals honor his Yonkers heritage
YONKERS, Westchester County (WABC) -- A celebrity chef is giving back this Thanksgiving to the community where he grew up in Yonkers.
Peter X. Kelly, founder of the Xaviar Restaurant Group and Xaviars X20 on the Hudson, teamed up with the Yonkers Municipal Housing Authority and Ruff Ryders to prepare and deliver 350 plus gourmet Thanksgiving meals for public housing residents.
His staff has been working since the weekend preparing roasted turkey, truffle mashed potatoes, chestnut and apple stuffing, string beans, cranberry sauce, and a slice of pumpkin bread.
The self-taught chef sees the holiday as an ideal time to give back to the community that gave him his start.
78-year-old Dorothy Peterson will spend Thanksgiving without family Thursday which is why she was grateful to have company. Kelly dropped off a home-cooked meal to Peterson.
"It means a lot, I don't have to cook. I hate cooking, but I like to eat," Peterson said.
Kelly is one of 12 children and spent part of his childhood in the Schlobohm houses and so these meals are being distributed to a specific group: seniors living in public housing throughout Yonkers.
"Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I get to feed people and make them happy. You don't have to bring a gift," Kelly said.
This is the fourth year Kelly and his team have prepared such meals, a tradition that went on through the pandemic and shows no signs of slowing down.
"I understand what it means to want a little more, particularly around the holidays. So I feel very fortunate to do that," Kelly said.
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