The Kitchen’s Thanksgiving Fellowship Dinner Continues to Surprise

Kent County power chefs Steve Quigg and Barbara Esmond. 

Steve Quigg has always been particular about The Kitchen at the Imperial’s Thanksgiving Day Fellowship Dinner.

For the fourth year, he has offered a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings at no charge. People call and make reservations. Those who can, contribute to the effort, but there is no expectation of any guest other than having an enjoyable Thanksgiving dinner.

The event has grown some over the years. This year Quigg served over 90 people.

Dinner is served. Connor Quigg, manning the carving station, is joined by Cameron and Ben Troup and Sue Cochrane.

“When I first contemplated this, I was thinking about people without a family to join, maybe shut-ins or people in need,” Quigg recalls. “What I have found is that there is a broad need for a place to gather for many reasons: we have people who live alone and are too far from family to travel; there are those who may not have the place to accommodate visitors or the funds to put on a family event; and then there are those who just wander in on Thanksgiving Day without any other place to go,” Quigg continued.

Rosalie and Rudolph Ringgold. daughters and granddaughter joined in the fellowship event.

The event is a family effort. The Quigg Family (Steve, Taylor and Connor) and the Troup Family (Sherri and Brandt, Cameron, Ben, Madeline and Sherri’s parents, Sue and Rick Cochrane) and friendly volunteers set up, cooked, served, and cleaned up.

Rachel Carter Goss was in charge of dessert.

Barbara Esmond of Barbara’s On the Bay teamed up in the Kitchen’s kitchen this year.

“I hate making stuffing and gravy,” Quigg explained. “And Barbara knocked it out of the ballpark. I am so glad she joined us this year.”

“It was a great day,” Esmond commented. “I am ready to do it again next year.”

Mervin and Sue Lapp of Lapp Family Bakery fame brought rolls, pies and other desserts for the event and stayed to enjoy their own four-generation Thanksgiving Dinner.

The Lapp Family brought desserts and stayed for dinner.

Photos by Steve Meehan.