Ready to shake up your Thanksgiving menu? Five local food pros share creative spins on holiday sides—plus one decadent dessert
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Crab Cakes with Smoky Pumpkin Sauce
Melissa Ann Barton (above), founder of the Mod Squad Martha line of vinaigrettes and marinades, delivers a new kind of pumpkin spice to her favorite holiday appetizer
Meet Melissa Ann
- Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
- Lives: John’s Island
- Past Life: Renowned caterer to the Nashville music and entertaining industry, where she was given the “Mod Squad Martha” nickname
- Holiday Plans: “Celebrating in Nashville with family—food, games, music, and fun—and carrying on our tradition of delivering a Thanksgiving basket to an elderly person who is alone”
- Pro Tip: “Turn any extra crab cakes into a hot crab dip and use the sauce for leftover turkey quesadillas.”
Check out her recipe for Crab Cakes with Smoky Pumpkin Sauce here.
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Apple & Bacon-Braised Collard Greens with Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Ginger-Turmeric Mashed Butternut Squash
Macintosh executive chef John-Carter “J-C” Ayanna (above) amps up the veg options
Meet J-C
- Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
- Lives: West Ashley
- Fave Thanksgiving Food: “My Grammy’s sweet potato pie, because it reminds me of home and everything that is good in the world.”
- Holiday Plans: “The Macintosh will be open, and we will be feasting the families and ‘framlies’ of Charleston.”
- Pro Tip: “Your collard greens should have a nice balance of sweet and spicy. Feel free to use little to no hot sauce if spicy isn’t something you enjoy.”
Check out his recipe for Apple & Bacon-Braised Collard Greens with Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Ginger-Turmeric Mashed Butternut Squash here.
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Apple, Sausage, & Fennel Biscuit Dressing
Celebrated cookbook author and biscuit authority Nathalie Dupree (above) shares a new take on dressing based on the Southern staple
Meet Nathalie
- Hometown: “As an Army brat, I don’t have a hometown; it’s wherever I am. Jack and I have been in Charleston for some time now, so it’s home.”
- Lives: Charleston Village
- Holiday Plans: “We are sizing down this year—just us plus a few family and nearly family members.”
- Pro Tip: “One of my favorite combinations is apple and sausage. Combined with pecans and herbs, this dish is very sought-after on the holiday table. While I love using these cathead biscuits, those from the freezer and refrigerator section of the grocery store, baked and crumbled, will work fine. I have a ‘biscuit bag’ in a plastic freezer bag in the refrigerator. Whenever I bake biscuits, which is frequently, I add one or two to it. Since I make all sorts of biscuits, it is a jumble of sizes and types.”
Check out her recipe for Apple, Sausage, & Fennel Biscuit Dressing here.
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Madeira Gravy
Culinary Institute of Charleston chef instructor and Southern foodways scholar Kevin Mitchell (above) enriches his gravy with Madeira, a libation with a long local history
Meet Kevin
- Hometown: Rahway, New Jersey
- Lives: North Charleston
- Mr. Ambassador: He was appointed a South Carolina Chef Ambassador for 2020; the official state program promotes authentic culinary experiences and buying local for everyday cooking.
- Fave Thanksgiving Food: “I started learning how to cook from my grandmother at the age of six. I loved her macaroni and cheese, sweet potato pie, stuffing she made with corn bread and chicken livers, and black-eyed peas.”
- Holiday Plans: “Hosting family from New Jersey”
- Pro Tip: “The Madeira gravy is great served with turkey or chicken and over mashed potatoes.”
Check out his recipe for Madeira Gravy here.
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Pumpkin Chai Cheesecake
Cookbook author Ashley Strickland Freeman (above) offers a decadent finish with this luscious dessert
Meet Ashley
- Great Gigs: The award-winning food stylist, recipe developer, and author most recently worked on Food Network’s Delicious Miss Brown, and her third book, The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook, was published in June.
- Hometown: Savannah, Georgia
- Lives: John’s Island
- Holiday Plans: “We just moved into our dream home so I imagine we’ll be there.”
- Pro Tip: “Get creative with garnishes, such as cinnamon sticks, star anise, cardamom pods, and crystallized ginger, if you like.”
Check out her recipe for Pumpkin Chai Cheesecake here.
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