LYNN — Brothers Deli was packed Thursday morning as owner George Markos and his staff transformed their Market Street restaurant into a mecca for good food, gratitude and good cheer.
The day marked Brothers’ 29th year serving free Thanksgiving meals to anyone who walks through the door.
Markos, who has worked at the deli since 1980, started the free meal program in 1993, a year after the death of his father, who he described as a generous man who “worked to survive.”
This Thursday, Markos, and about a dozen of his volunteers purchased and served more than 200 turkeys to members of the community.
Beside the door, Jerry Powers, who has volunteered at Brothers Deli since 1996, greeted patrons, handing them trays and utensils, before they joined the line. Powers said that he was homeless long ago, and began volunteering to give back to the community that supported him.
“I’ve been doing this for over 23 years,” Powers said. “I was homeless at one time, that’s going back a long, long time, but I’m a person who will pay it forward and help out people.”
Powers, who arrived at 5 a.m. Thursday to help Markos and the other volunteers prepare, described Markos as a “giver,” who goes out of his way to support the community.
“The owner is such a giver. He gives back to the public and gives back to the people,” Powers said.
Seated in the back portion of the deli, regulars echoed Powers’ praise of Markos. Lynn resident Danielle Turner, said that she has been a regular at Brother’s Deli since it opened in 1979.
“George is just wonderful,” Turner said. “I’ve known George’s very long time, and I think he does a wonderful thing for the community. You don’t see too many people and restaurants that will go out of their way to serve the community the way they do here. They always have a wonderful group of volunteers, as well.”
Regulars Jacob Maluk and his brother Peter Deng moved to Lynn from Southern Sudan in 2001. Maluk, who was dining with his brother, said that for more than 20 years, they have been regulars at Brothers Deli.
Markos’ kindness and honesty, Maluk said, made the restaurant feel like a family home to him.
“He always says ‘hi’ to me when I come here, every year,” Maluk said. “I really like this place. Sometime when I have a business day, I come here to pick up my steak to eat over here. This is like a family group together.”
Inside the Kitchen, Markos, who was frantically switching focus between cooking and serving turkey, said, with a wide smile, that he pulled an all-nighter with his kitchen staff in preparation for Thanksgiving.
“I tried to go out to get some sleep — I closed my eyes for five minutes, but I just couldn’t do it,” Markos said.
Markos, whose smile never broke as he greeted patrons and shook hands with regulars, did not take a moment to boast or brag about his generosity. Instead, when asked if he had anything he wished to say to the community, Markos asked that everyone enjoy their holiday, be healthy, and stay thankful.
“Tell the people, tell everybody, ‘happy Thanksgiving.’ The next thing is gonna be, ‘ be healthy and be thankful.’ That’s all,” Markos said.
Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at [email protected]
