More than 200 turkeys and in excess of 1,000 pounds of potatoes help make up the menu for the annual free Thanksgiving dinner Brothers Deli owner George Markos will serve on Thursday beginning at 8 a.m.
The Nahant resident’s labor of love starts this evening with the cooking and preparations underway. Even Markos’ grand-nephews and nieces will pitch in and make cookies.
Markos will make a COVID-19 break from tradition and serve turkey with all the fixings on the sidewalk in front of his 41 Market Street restaurant instead of inside Brothers. Meals will be available until 2 p.m. But in true Markos tradition, no one will be turned away if they show up late or early.
“I like to be with people. The best thing about it is everyone is happy,” he said. Markos started serving Thanksgiving dinner in 1993 and estimated he has handed out 27,000 dinners since then. His desire to feed others stems from memories of his first years in the United States when he immigrated from Greece and holidays were frugal.
Preparations for Thursday’s feast begins with Market Basket shopping excursions and assembling meal ingredients with cooking underway by 5 p.m. Wednesday. Markos’ own Thanksgiving meal will consist of any morsels he can grab between slicing turkey and serving side dishes.
“I pick here and there,” he said.
