By Kristin Boza
Thanksgiving celebrations may look different this year, with Zoom call-ins to the cousins and a smaller in-person table. Regardless of what the guest list looks like, County Fair, 10800 S. Western, is ready to serve the community for all their Thanksgiving dinner needs.
The famed Ho-Ka turkeys, from Howard Kauffman Turkey Farm in Waterman, Ill., takes great prides in its amazing fresh turkeys. As stated on their website, “…the turkeys grow more slowly and develop a richer flavor and denser textures.” Tom Baffes, President of County Fair Foods, is excited to get the Thanksgiving season rolling with the Ho-Ka turkeys; in a typical year, County Fair alone sells 700 to 800 of the prized birds.
“Ho-Ka turkeys are locally grown and are truly fresh. They are harvested two weeks before Thanksgiving, while some other brands are harvested quite a bit before Thanksgiving,” Baffes said. “Ho-Ka turkeys are also cooled to a hard chill, not a real freeze. All of this makes a big difference in the fresh taste of the turkey.”
Baffes advises people to place their Ho-Ka order early in November, and orders will end the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Customers can head to County Fair’s butcher shop directly to order a Ho-Ka, or they can call the store, 773-238-5576.
“The Ho-Ka turkey sells itself, and we’ve been selling them for a long time. Once people are used to the taste, they don’t want to go back to any other turkey,” Baffes said.
Additionally, the County Fair butchers will be boning out turkey breasts, which is all done in-house. Baffes aims to have even more boneless turkey breasts for sale this year since they were such a hot item in 2019.
The Thanksgiving feast is centered around the deliciously juicy turkey, but other sides dishes and desserts are also essential. The Elegant Farmer Apple Pie in a Bag is a County Fair customer favorite, as is the red garnet sweet potatoes, which are a step up from the traditional Louisiana sweet potato, Baffes said. And don’t worry — after a bit of a canned pumpkin shortage in the area, Baffes is happy to report that they have plenty in stock for all home chefs to create their own pumpkin pies.
“I think these holidays might be more important nowadays than ever before since people aren’t seeing their relatives as often,” Baffes said. “I expect that people will be putting more effort into the Thanksgiving dinner this year.”
