The feast by the numbers
Turkeys: 125
Green beans: 180 gallons
Gravy: 75 gallons
Mashed potatoes: 750 pounds
Sweet potatoes: 500 pounds
Dressing: 100 gallons
Cranberry sauce: 50 gallons
Dinner rolls: 300 dozen
Pumpkin pies: 210
As long as Ruben Pelayo has a restaurant, he’ll be serving up a free community Thanksgiving meal — with the help of a lot of friends.
When people gather from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a turkey meal this Thanksgiving at Pelayo’s El Sombrero Mexican restaurants in Piqua and Troy, they’ll be participating in a tradition started 20 years ago.
That meal was served in his first local restaurant located in the former Days Inn at Interstate 75 and West Main Street in Troy.
The following year, fire struck the motel and took the restaurant with it on Nov. 11, 1995. The fire didn’t halt the meal, though. With the support of customers, employees and others, the free dinner was served at the former Moose Lodge downtown.
A Piqua El Sombrero opened after the fire, and the “new” Troy restaurant opened in the former Orchard Tavern on Nov. 11, 1997.
The meal is Pelayo’s way of fulfilling a promise to his mom to support the community.
“He wants to give back. We really want to reach the people who have a need,” said Judy Rose, who is Pelayo’s “American mom” and longtime business manager. “That is our big concern, but we need to impress on customers and the community that this is a community dinner.”
Rose said there were skeptics when the new business in town said it would offer an annual community feast. “He is looking at at least 20 more years. As long as he is capable, as long as he has the restaurant, there will be the free Thanksgiving dinner,” she said of Pelayo.
Pelayo said there’s around 1,000 pounds of turkey served between the two restaurants along with all the trimmings.
The cost of the dinner can reach $16,000 a year. Donations from businesses and individuals help with costs, as does the sale at the restaurant of handmade items by Rose and other supporters.
Some volunteers have helped each year, making the day run more smoothly, Rose said.
“You see these familiar faces, and you know they know what to do. We serve people as if they were at our home. We want them to sit at the table and be served,” Rose said.
Pelayo said he’s not big on counting how many people partake.
“This isn’t about me. It is a lot of people,” he said. “Without the help of my mom, the help of the other people, it would be impossible to do, really,” he said.
About the Author