The American holiday table is a familiar vignette: burnished turkey, fluffy dinner rolls, and green bean casserole are among the usual suspects one expects to find each year.
Magazine spreads can make it look as though Thanksgiving and Christmas tables haven’t changed since the 1950s. But for two immigrant chefs in Atlanta, the holiday table is a blend of traditional American fare and dishes from their homelands in Peru and Thailand, from turkey and tamales, to boat noodle soup and banana pudding.
For Arnaldo Castillo, chef and co-owner of Tio Lucho’s, the holidays always feature turkey prepared in the style of Piura in northern Peru. His godparents have operated a restaurant there for more than 60 years and make their birds with a marinade of onion, annatto seed, ají panca (a smoky, sweet, mild chili used widely in Peruvian cuisine), and white vinegar before roasting. Instead of sharing a plate with mashed potatoes and gravy, the turkey is usually served with spaghetti on the side or made into sandwiches.
“It’s something I grew up eating in Peru, and being able to continue that tradition with my family here in Georgia makes it even more special,” he says.
Castillo’s relatives still live in Peru, so he typically celebrates with his wife’s family in Georgia, whose traditions he has enjoyed being initiated into. At Christmas, Castillo prepares his Piura-style turkey and tamales verdes which are served with sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and apple or sweet potato pie.
“When pies, casseroles and yams started becoming part of the dinner table, you could see a natural fusion of cultures that made sense on your plate,” he says.
The turkey is a favorite, but Castillo recalls preparing a seasoned prime rib roast one year with huacatay (a pungent, minty herb that’s native to the Andean highlands) and cumin. Combining traditional holiday cuts of meat with Peruvian seasoning connects him to the familiar flavors of his upbringing. “I get to share my culture this way,” he says.
Castillo’s holiday traditions include a few squarely American dishes, too, like his wife’s breakfast sausage pinwheels, made with Pillsbury dough wrapped around sausage and baked, which he enjoys dipped in Tabasco.
Like Castillo, Niki Pattharakositkul, chef and owner of 26 Thai Kitchen & Bar, has found ways to blend the holiday traditions of her upbringing with those she has embraced in the United States. Growing up in a Thai-Chinese family, Pattharakositkul always looked forward to Chinese New Year, when she remembers receiving red envelopes filled with money from family members. Since moving to the United States, she has added Thanksgiving and Christmas to her holiday celebrations, embracing the festive atmosphere of both.
She still celebrates Chinese New Year, remembering the special dishes her mother made as Thailand settled into its cooler months in November and December.
“I always looked forward to having hot pot with boat noodle broth during the holidays,” she says. Boat noodle broth is typically made by simmering pork and beef bones to create a rich broth, then infused with aromatic herbs and spices like galangal, pandan leaves, lemon grass, star anise, cinnamon, and coriander. A comforting and complex soup, Pattharakositkul says, “it still feels like the holidays to me.”
Steamed whole branzino was another favorite served on special occasions for Pattharakositkul. Her table today features both Thai and American foods, with seafood, meats, and vegetables for everyone to choose from, but always includes a traditional turkey or ham. For dessert, Pattharakositkul mentions banana pudding as her “all time favorite.”
When asked who does the cooking, she says it’s a group effort. “I think the most important thing is getting everyone together, enjoying good food and wine, and having a great time without anyone having to stress too much about cooking.”
Each Thanksgiving, Pattharakositkul says everyone takes a moment to reflect on the year and share what they’re grateful for, a tradition that’s familiar to many American families. There is always an abundance of food, and Pattharakositkul says she loves to creatively use up leftovers: “I’ll make ham and egg sandwiches for breakfast, turkey fried rice, or spicy Thai basil turkey.”
This Thanksgiving, Atlantans can get a taste of Castillo’s holiday table, including his Piura-style turkey. Tio Lucho’s is offering three takeout feasts: a whole Piura-style roast turkey marinated in ají panca, sliced Piura-style turkey breast, or a whole fried turkey brined with Peruvian spices. Each comes with tamales verdes, arroz árabe, sofrito gravy, and other sides. Preorder by Sunday, Nov. 22, for pickup Wednesday, Nov. 25.
For Castillo and Pattharakositkul, the holidays are as much about preserving the flavors of home as they are about embracing new traditions. Their tables may look different from the classic American holiday spread, but the sentiment is the same: bringing loved ones together, sharing good food, and making room for a little something new alongside the familiar.
