Invite these local food purveyors to your Thanksgiving feast

Thanksgiving is about showing gratitude for the important things in life, like the people you love and the delicious dishes on the table. Celebrating the harvest and supporting local food purveyors actually go hand in hand, so as you’re putting together your shopping list — or planning how to do as little cooking as possible — here are some ways you can add a little regional flair to the spread.

Hempler’s holiday hams are truly time-tested; the Bellingham-based smokehouse’s meats have been a staple at Thanksgiving tables since 1934, and today, a third generation of the founding family oversees production of gourmet bone-in and boneless varieties, with flavors like Virginia, Black Forest, and apple honey on offer. To step outside the same old side dishes, give Uli’s Famous Sausage’s Thuringer-style bratwurst, red cabbage and apple recipe a try. The sausage polenta is another solid option. Chuckanut Bay Foods can help you sort the sweets, while solving the longstanding pumpkin-versus-pecan pie debate. You’ll find the best elements of both, in one cheesecake — the Paradise Pumpkin Pie. The Huckleberry and Festive Four are also fitting for the season.

Now, just because you want to enjoy a feast at home, doesn’t mean you also have to sweat for hours in the kitchen. Gourmondo is happy to take that stress off your plate; the caterer’s holiday menu is stuffed with tasty appetizers, classic entrees with a twist, and of course, desserts that your guests will be talking about for years to come. 

There’s no judgement if just thinking about the mountain of dirty dishes makes you want to say, “let’s go to a restaurant.” Thankfully, there are some good ones planning to stay open and welcome in customers. Emory’s on Silver Lake is serving a three-course dinner, with all of the usual suspects (turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce) alongside some PNW delicacies in wild Alaskan salmon or Northwest filet mignon. Finish it all off with pumpkin pie, fire-roasted apple bread pudding, or Buffalo Trace bourbon mousse. Reservations are highly recommended.

There is of course a third option, to take the show on the road and check into a “home away from home” for the long weekend. Many hotels and resorts in the PNW make sure to provide a Thanksgiving meal to guests. 

Oregon wine country is bustling in late November, with plenty of release parties and other special harvest events. The Allison Inn is a particularly apt basecamp to explore all of the happenings; indeed, you don’t have to go very far to enjoy a world-class meal at Jory.

Soak in the breathtaking Orcas Islands views as you chow down at the Outlook Inn’s New Leaf Cafe. Served 4:30-7 p.m. for $65, the menu includes a Brussels sprout chopped salad, a roasted turkey plate (light and dark meat with garlic mashed potatoes and gravy, truffle green bean casserole, sourdough stuffing, yams with marshmallow fluff, and herb-roasted rainbow carrots), as well as a pumpkin cheesecake with graham cracker crust and cardamom whipped cream.

For Seattleites in need of a staycation, Salish Lodge & Spa, Cedarbrook Lodge, The Lodge at St. Edward’s Park, The Heathman Hotel, and The State Hotel require minimal travel time while offering a much-needed change of scenery.