Now, with products that span over twenty categories, the Yoki team has brought all its products under a unified brand message.

The “Viva as suas raizes” (“Live your roots”) brand message speaks to both the past and present of Brazilian food culture.

With a wide variety of Brazilian household staples like Farofa – a traditional side dish made with seasoned cassava flour – and one of its most popular products, popcorn, the Yoki team looked for a way to speak to consumers across all its categories through an emotional tie.

“The new campaign is about celebrating life and creating moments of bonding,” says Manuel Garabato, marketing director for our business in Latin America and Brazil. “It’s about enjoying life with the ones that you love through food and celebration. It’s about keeping alive traditions, recreating your own past experiences and enabling you to make your own traditions.”

“We want to show consumers that no matter what the product is, if it has a Yoki label, they should know that they can trust the brand,” adds Priscila Pizano, marketing manager for Yoki.

The traditions of Brazilian cooking are brought to life through Yoki’s partnership with Tastemade in a series called “Raízes dos Brasileiros” (“Brazilian Roots”).

The video series features Brazilian chef and foodie Isadora Becker as she explores the origins of traditional Brazilian dishes, and then creates her own take on the recipes using Yoki ingredients.

Click here to watch the first episode of Raízes dos Brasileiros, as Becker makes “croquete empanado na batata palha.”

While the master brand message has already started appearing on some packaging, more products will be updated over time.

In addition to the other efforts around the “Live your roots” launch, Yoki also partnered with Airbnb to host a dinner for food bloggers and journalists at a traditional Brazilian house. They invited a prominent psychologist to share insights on the power of the Brazilian consumer’s relationship with food, especially as it relates to family, heritage and connection around a table.

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Or, even more unique, drinking some of those things in a beer.

But for Jonny Coffman, 34, of Chicago, Illinois, that unique concoction was his go-to meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner for nearly five months.

You see, he’s been battling melanoma – a form of cancer – since 2015. And last year before a 30-day treatment of radiation, his doctors warned that’d he’d likely lose his sense of taste for a period of time.

As the doctors predicted, Coffman did lose his palate. Everything from steak to tacos had no taste to him.

“Everything tasted like cement,” Coffman told us, as he described the surprisingly devastating loss of his sense of taste. “So, I kept doing trial and error stuff. I would make weird concoctions of different ingredients and see if I could taste anything – different textures, sweet, savory, all of that – and one morning I just looked to see what I had…”

He combined Cinnamon Toast Crunch, steal cut oats, honey, mangoes and milk. And when he took his first bite, he could taste everything.

“It was a pretty amazing morning for me. And I started eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch with mangoes three times a day, every day for months,” he explains about the taste bud-altering event.

After about five months Coffman’s full sense of taste returned.

“I thought when my palate came back that I was going to hate these things. I thought I’m never going to want to eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch again – I’m never going to want to eat mangoes because I’m just overloading on it every day. And it’s crazy. It’s still my favorite cereal,” Coffman says.

While Cinnamon Toast Crunch may be his favorite cereal, his favorite brand of beer is Goose Island. He actually works at the brewery as a brand ambassador.

Jonny Coffman (pictured right) with a Goose Island brewmaster Jared Jankoski while making “Lost Palate” beer, which includes three family size boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

And one day Coffman’s twin brother, Ben, jokingly said that he should make a beer that tastes like the flavor combination that brought his lost palate back to life.

A couple months later, Coffman brought the idea to some of his Goose Island colleagues, fully anticipating the idea would get shot down.

But much to his surprise they said ‘Yes.’

Goose Island President Todd Ahsmann, brewmaster Jared Jankoski and brewer Quinn Fuechsl helped Coffman bring the beer to life.

He talks about the approval process and how thinking “inside the box” turned out to be pretty tasty, in this audio clip.

Appropriately named “Lost Palate,” the recipe for the New England-style IPA included flaked oats, honey malt, lactose sugar, mangoes, three family-size boxes of Cinnamon Toasted Crunch and hops.

“It was better than I expected, way better,” Coffman says. “I give it a 10 out of 10.”

The pilot brew made about nine kegs worth of beer, which sold out at Goose Island in two days.

And all of the proceeds – about $1,200 – was donated to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University to support cancer research.

Coffman says it felt good to give back to the hospital in honor of his doctors and other patients battling cancer.

And he says he hopes he’ll be able to make another batch of Lost Palate in the future.

“Catching a buzz off of a beer feels great. But catching a buzz from a beer that you know you gave back with is the best kind of feeling you can get.”

Photos courtesy of Jonny’s twin brother Ben Coffman.

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The brand’s global campaign this year is all about being “extraordinarily luxurious,” and its latest holiday cakes are no exception.

“When it came to Christmas and the strategy for the eleventh cake theme it naturally went to the idea of showcasing a pure, refined cake as if it were a precious gem that you discover when opening a box,” says Aurelie Lory, global marketing manager for Häagen-Dazs Shops. “Simplicity, was a key driver for this year’s cakes as we wanted to really focus on the quality of our ingredients.”

Häagen-Dazs enlisted Brazilian design duo, the Campana Brothers, to create “The Precious Delight” holiday cake, with details showcasing the complexity of a precious gem. The limited edition cakes come in Belgian Chocolate & Vanilla and Frozen Yogurt & Raspberry Sorbet flavors.

The Campana Brothers said: “Intriguing is the idea of a surface that stimulates all of the senses. The look of a new facet of cutting a diamond stimulates the ultimate sense of real luxury, which becomes a feeling of crescendos. Like an avalanche of sensation, like a wave that wants to break, but keeps the highest position for being able to enjoy the shape and the taste explosion. This is the expression of the highest quality of sublime desire that only Häagen-Dazs is able to formulate.”

And like a rare diamond, this year’s cakes are only available in limited quantities and locations.

The cakes are available exclusively in Häagen-Dazs Shops in Europe. Now through January 15th, ice cream lovers can find the cakes in Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain.

The cake’s exterior isn’t the only premium element, the chefs and ingredients behind them are top notch as well.

This year’s cakes come in two flavor variations: Belgian Chocolate & Vanilla and Frozen Yogurt & Raspberry Sorbet.

Belgian Chocolate & Vanilla

The “iconic” recipe is described as a soft brownie studded with delicious crispy pieces, paired with two iconic ice creams: Belgian Chocolate & Vanilla. The two premium flavors are taken to new heights by the texture of a praline iced mousse and given a twist of originality with a mango and passionfruit confit.

The “original” recipe of a delicious crunchy biscuit spiced with ginger and cinnamon is elevated by refreshing Frozen Yogurt and Raspberry Sorbet which give it a real light touch. This creation whisks you away to another world and its vibrant surprise center is bursting with a delicate jasmine cream lifted by a berry confit.

“These cakes combine luxurious design and the ultimate taste,” says Lory. “We’ve created great cakes for everyone to enjoy with the people they love over the holidays.”

Häagen-Dazs on display

Häagen-Dazs’ sweet delights also are on display in an adorable way in France.

For the first time, the brand has teamed up with Printemps Haussmann, a French department store chain, for a holiday window display designed by French illustrator Cruschiform (Marie-Laure Cruschi), and Jean-Claude Dehix, puppeteer for the Printemps Haussmann displays since 1973.

“Christmas displays in Printemps are magical, so it’s natural for Häagen-Dazs to be present with a fairytale display that embodies the values of Made in France,” says Alexiane Forestier, assistant brand manager for Häagen-Dazs France.

A delicious scent of vanilla wafts through the air in the “Häagen-Dazs Land of Sweet Delights,” which features ice cream mountains, macadamia nut rocks and milk waterfalls. Inspired by the city of Arras, France, not far from where Häagen-Dazs is made, this beautiful window display includes its famous belfry, made of succulent Speculoos biscuits instead of stones.

As an additional nod to Häagen-Dazs being made in France with high quality ingredients, the display features French cows wearing cute berets while making delicious, rich ice cream.

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“The idea behind the new design really stemmed from the heritage of Muir Glen as the nation’s first large-scale producer of organic canned tomatoes, long before organic was a standard or trend,” says Jake Ellerbrock, senior marketing manager for Muir Glen. “While our previous labels have underscored the quality and rich brand history that lives inside every single Muir Glen product, it didn’t really stand out. We wanted to create a timeless, sought-after design that people would be inspired to save and reuse in their homes.”

To bring the new packaging to life, the team took inspiration from vintage labels that adorned canned California produce around the 1950s.

“50s-era California produce packaging had a wonderful feel to it, with realistic illustrations of beautiful fruits and vegetables. We drew inspiration from that look, but added a contemporary twist,” says Ellerbrock.

The result is a contemporary take on that vintage inspiration. A beautiful, handcrafted and timeless design that celebrates the brand’s star ingredient – the tomato – and gives a nod to the brand’s California heritage.

Through some common design elements, including the three hero tomatoes, the entire line works together to help the brand stand out on shelf. The team also hopes they can inspire people to recreate the same shelf display at home in their very own pantry.

In this audio clip, Ellerbrock talks about the redesign process, the new artwork and the team’s goals for the brand’s fresh look.

“We know millennials are flocking to the kitchen to make and create whenever possible, carefully curating quality ingredients that also have on-shelf curb appeal. We hope our new packaging will help more people rediscover the great taste and quality of Muir Glen tomatoes,” continues Ellerbrock.

It starts with a great tomato

Taste is truly a key differentiator for Muir Glen, which has been widely recognized over the years for being among the best tasting canned tomatoes. The brand has received countless accolades from some of the tops in foodie culture including Bon Appetit, NPR’s The Splendid Table and The New York Times, to name a few.

One of the things that makes the Muir Glen brand such a stand-out was the founding belief that organic farming produced a better tasting tomato.

The year was 1991, a time when organic was still unproven territory. Muir Glen’s founder Craig Weakley chose to grow Muir Glen tomatoes in the rich growing conditions of the Sacramento Valley. To learn more about how Muir Glen started, check out the brand’s origin story, here on “A Taste of General Mills.”

Today, Muir Glen continues that California heritage and works with about a dozen hand-selected organic farmers in the area. The tomatoes are harvested and then canned in eight hours or less. These organic farmers are committed to regenerating the natural resources of California to ensure long-term prosperity of the land.

The California State “button” that appears on the new Muir Glen labels.

In August, a team from our Minneapolis and Berkeley offices visited with grower Scott Park (shown below) on an organic tomato farm in the Sacramento Valley.

Park has been farming organically for more than 30 years and is currently leading research in water conservation and soil health in California.

Looking for recipe inspiration for entertaining during the holidays? Check out these two easy yet elegant Muir Glen recipes on Food52. 

And look back at a few Instagram highlights from Muir Glen’s partnership with Feedfeed at the Food Loves Tech Expo on November 2 and 3, 2018, in Brooklyn, New York, where the brand debuted its fresh look.

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The story goes like this.

A decade ago, General Mills’ CEO at the time – Ken Powell – was challenged by the Secretary-General of the United Nations (Kofi Annan) to find a way to help improve the quality, safety and availability of food in Africa.

Lucky for us, Powell and his team had the passion, desire, knowledge, and the team to make it happen.

From there, Partners in Food Solutions (PFS) was born.

The success of PFS is rooted in the simple concept of connecting high-potential processors and millers across Africa with talented employees from some of the largest companies in the food industry, like General Mills.

Employees volunteer their time, sharing their expertise with the African food companies to improve their businesses and the food they make.

Learn about the history of PFS and a success story, in this video.

The growth and subsequent impact of PFS has been rooted in relationships that led to an entire network of individuals, companies, governments, nonprofits and donors that now spans the globe.

Today, PFS is an independent nonprofit organization.

Its work is a consortium of six corporate partners with a shared goal of strengthening local food value chains for a sustainable African food industry.

Collectively, these companies have nearly 700 years of food know-how and tens of thousands of employees whose expertise and wisdom can help advance the African food landscape.

PFS also works with other notable organizations like TechnoServe, with funding from by USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and impact investors such as Root Capital and Grassroots Business Fund to support African food processors and mills.

The impact over a decade has been immense.

• Nearly 1,500 early-stage food companies received support and training to help improve food safety and quality and improve their businesses.
• 9 countries served: Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
• 94,000 hours contributed by nearly 1,500 volunteers from six companies.

“We could not be more proud of the impact Partners in Food Solutions has made in Africa. The advances in food safety and nutrition, made possible by the generosity of hundreds of volunteers, are truly inspiring,” says Mary Jane Melendez, executive director of the General Mills Foundation, and PFS board member. “PFS gives our employee volunteers a powerful way to use their food expertise while making a dramatic difference in developing African countries.”

African child eats Ready to Eat Therapeutic Food (RUTF), which helps children suffering malnourishment. RUTF is manufactured by VALID Nutrition, a Partners in Food Solutions client.

“The partnership represents what the food industry can do in a very tangible way to make a positive impact in food security, nutrition and development, even from 8,000 miles away,” says Jeff Dykstra, co-founder and CEO of PFS. “It’s a testament to our six corporate partners and their commitment to open up their collective 700 years of know-how and be willing to share that in a meaningful way.”

So you see, this story is far from over. It’s only just begun. Learn how you can be a part of this important work on PartnersInFoodSolutions.com.

For more information, read this article in The Wall Street Journal, and the latest PFS annual report.

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We partnered with The Nature Conservancy to develop a soil health roadmap for U.S. working lands, the Soil Health Partnership and Soil Health Institute and others to help implement and advance the work.

Still, as World Soil Day 2018 is here (December 5), there is much to be done. But we are hopeful as results and progress become more frequent and widespread.

And, while we don’t own farms, we know 99 percent of food comes from the soil; and we have a robust supply chain and strong partnerships with suppliers who source from incredibly dedicated farmers in growing regions throughout North America and beyond.

To date, General Mills has invested more than $4 million in soil health research and initiatives.

(Click on image to enlarge)

Just last year, we hired Steve Rosenzweig, who we believe to be one of the only full-time scientists employed by a food company.

“Soil is one of the biggest solutions to our environmental issues,” says Rosenzweig, PhD and soil scientist at General Mills.

Want more dirt?

You can hear from Rosenzweig, about soil health and the unique job he has, in the latest episode of the “A Taste of General Mills” podcast.

Listen (13 min)

SHOW NOTES – Episode 40: December 4, 2018

Link: Investing in the future through soil

Link: EPIC’s ROAM Ranch: A photo journey

Rosenzweig also shares some thoughts on soil health in this post on LinkedIn.

It’s easy to listen to our podcast when you’re on the go. Just listen on any podcast app on your mobile device (search for General Mills), including Apple Podcasts, or right here on our blog.

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According to Instituto Melhores Dias (IMD), childhood malnutrition is a serious problem in Brazil, where our Yoki brand of popcorn, tea, snack food and side dishes, is produced. And we know that strengthening school meals programs is one of the most effective ways that we can help to reduce childhood hunger and malnutrition.

General Mills and Yoki have partnered with IMD, a Brazilian nonprofit organization, since 2016, in support of its “Healthy Children, Healthy Futures” program.

Learn more about the partnership, in this video. (Watch it in Portuguese, here).

For children from impoverished communities, the school meal is often the most substantial meal of the day. IMD partners with schools to improve the quality of life of children and their communities by increasing awareness about nutrition and food security, as well as gardening and healthy lifestyles.

Our partnership with IMD has made a difference in the lives of Brazilian schoolchildren by providing nourishing school meals and holistic school-based programs, like gardens at school and at students’ homes. Thanks to a renewed partnership in 2018, the program has been able to double in scope, and now serves 124,000 Brazilian schoolchildren at 304 schools every day.

Because of these nutrition programs, anemia levels among children in these communities have decreased by as much as 66 percent in less than two years.“We are absolutely delighted by the huge success of our partnership with Instituto Melhores Dias. Ensuring that children are well-nourished at school not only reduces hunger and improves nutrition, but also strengthens their ability to succeed in school,” says Louise Iverson, senior program manager of the General Mills Foundation. “This program is changing lives for children in Brazil.”

The partnership also provides a unique opportunity for General Mills employees to roll up their sleeves and volunteer their time with IMD programs at local schools.

“The support from the General Mills Foundation has been fundamental to improving nutrition and creating opportunities at schools and communities in Brazil,” says Dr. Joyce Capelli, president of IMD. “Instituto Melhores Dias has been able to impact the lives of many Brazilian children through an integrated health and education program, focused on developing a culture of nutritionally heathy habits in these communities.”

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BettyCrocker.com, Pillsbury.com and Tablespoon.com are filled with easy-to-access cookie recipes boasting holiday spirit for all taste buds. But there’s still something special about pulling out that ingredient-stained family cookbook, with recipe notes scribbled along the pages, passed down from generation-to-generation.

Cookies of all kinds have been a key part of our history. In fact, around this time last year our Archives team featured some of our old cookie kits that were holiday hits. Check out the video, here.

From creating classics like Russian Tea Cakes to adding pizzazz to pre-made Pillsbury dough when you’re short on time, our recipe content – in print and on digital platforms – truly has something for everyone.

Russian Tea Cakes with a twist on toppings

Both Betty Crocker and Pillsbury have “cookie countdowns” going on right now. All you have to do is sign up on BettyCrocker.com or Pillsbury.com to receive a recipe in your email inbox once a day leading into the holidays.

While we have endless cookie content available at our fingertips, it’s still fun to learn about baking best practices during face-to-face interactions in the kitchen.

So, for our “A Taste of General Mills” podcast this month, I caught up with Cathy Swanson Wheaton, the executive editor behind many of your favorite Pillsbury and Betty Crocker cookbooks, to hear her secrets for cookies that look and taste great.

During our oven-side chat, Wheaton shares her personal and professional perspective on all-things cookies. You’ll learn about:

-Current trends and twists on the classics
-Simple mistakes that have big consequences during the baking process
-Creative cookie decorating ideas when you’re short on time or ingredients
-Swanson Wheaton’s favorite cookie-baking traditions

Cathy Swanson Wheaton (left), executive editor behind many Pillsbury and Betty Crocker cookbooks, talks cookies in the Betty Crocker Kitchens.

Listen (16 min)

SHOW NOTES – Episode 39: November 28, 2018

Link: Russian Tea Cakes 

Link: Betty Crocker’s Classic Sugar Cookie recipe

Link: Pillsbury cookie dough 

Link: Betty Crocker’s 24 Days of Cookies 

Link: Pillsbury’s Cookie Countdown

It’s easy to listen to our podcast when you’re on the go. Just listen on any podcast app on your mobile device (search for General Mills), including Apple Podcasts, or right here on our blog.

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The sugar that provides a sweet taste in your food can come from a variety of sources. General Mills uses sugar from sugarcane in some of our dough products and snack bars, for example, and from sugar beets in cereal, fruit snacks, baking mixes and frosting.

You can’t taste or see the difference – they both satisfy your sweet tooth and look the same – but we’re working to make sure both ingredients are grown in an environmentally and socially sustainable manner. Sustainably sourcing the ingredients we use is a priority for General Mills.

We know consumers are increasingly interested not only in where their food comes from but how it is grown and by whom. We share consumers’ desire for transparency about what goes into our products. Further, ‘Treat the World with Care” and “Put People First” are in our DNA.

For Sourcing, this translates into an imperative to create supply chain resiliency and enable growth – we need to protect and conserve the raw material base our businesses depend on.

For these reasons, we made a commitment in 2014 to sustainably source our top ten priority ingredients by 2020.

Today, we sustainably source 81 percent of the U.S. beet sugar and 58 percent of the sugarcane we purchase and are on track to meet our goal of 100 percent by the end of 2020 (calendar year).

They both end up as the same ingredient (sugar), but as raw materials, sugar beets and sugarcane come from different places with different risks and opportunities. Most of the beet sugar we use is grown in the central and northern U.S., while much of the sugarcane we purchase is sourced from warmer climates.

Sugar beets

Like other row crops, growing sugar beets can be resource intensive. Use of more environmentally friendly farming practices while growing them – such as no till, crop rotation and cover crops – helps improve soil health while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change. Those practices also improve water quality by lessening the amount of fertilizer and other nutrients that can end up in the water supply.

We work with sugar beet farmers in four U.S. growing regions to help them measure the impact of sustainable practices and identify improvement opportunities so they can grow more with less fertilizer, water, energy and soil erosion. Farmers measure their progress by capturing and comparing data with software tools that help them determine the most efficient use of resources.

The Red River Valley region of the U.S. was the starting point for our work with sugar beet farmers. We have been collaborating with farmers from the region and American Crystal Sugar, one of our co-op suppliers, for five years. To date, farmers have collected data on more than 119,000 acres using on-the-ground sustainability programs to measure environmental efficiency indicators.

Nearly 80 percent of sugar beet fields in the Red River Valley grower engagement program have implemented some combination of conservation practices, such as cover crops, grass waterways, filter strips, field borders and contour strip cropping. These practices are helping improve the sustainability of beet sugar.

Conservation farming practicesSugarcane

Our actions to improve the sustainability of sugarcane are different from sugar beets because the global sugarcane supply chain is more complex. It presents a broader mix of challenges, including labor rights, working conditions and water quality issues.

We are helping to increase the sustainability of sugarcane by working with our suppliers and industry groups like Bonsucro, a global nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable sugarcane production, to improve practices. We source raw cane sugar from more than 20 countries.

Most of the sugarcane General Mills purchases comes from refineries in the U.S., Mexico and Brazil. More than half of the sugarcane we purchase globally is verified as sustainably sourced from countries where there is a low-risk of issues, including the U.S. and Australia.

“General Mills is a longstanding member of Bonsucro, having joined in 2013, and we’re very happy to be working with the company to achieve their aim of sourcing 100 percent of their sugarcane products from responsible and sustainable sources by 2020. As a multi-stakeholder initiative, Bonsucro works with businesses from all areas of the sugarcane supply chain, including producers, traders, civil society organisations and end buyers of sugarcane products. Collaboration between these different actors is the key to achieving a sustainable sugarcane industry, and so General Mills’ support through membership and promotion of Bonsucro’s Standards and programmes to its supply base contributes to achieving Bonsucro’s vision of a sugarcane sector with thriving, sustainable producer communities and resilient, assured supply chains.” – Danielle Morley, CEO, Bonsucro

To map our supply chain, achieve greater transparency and tailor strategies around sugarcane origin, we have been working with Proforest, a nonprofit group which consults with governments, producers and other stakeholders to improve sustainable management of natural resources.

In countries where the potential for supply chain challenges is considered higher, we use verification methods such as compliance with Bonsucro’s Production Standard, a protocol that helps farmers and mills better track and verify practices, to ensure we are purchasing sugarcane that has been grown in a sustainable and responsible manner. Where the path to verification is less clear, we are working with Bonsucro and Proforest to determine how and where we should make impact investments to address social sustainability challenges, such as worker health and safety.

“Proforest has been working with General Mills on their 2020 sustainable sourcing strategy and target for sugarcane since 2016. The primary focus of this work has been to support the company in understanding its sugar supply base through the collection of supplier traceability data – work which has progressed well through 2017 and 2018. Moving forward, Proforest is encouraged that General Mills has asked us to work with them to now convert this traceability data into meaningful actions to engage suppliers in higher risk sourcing regions. We will also be supporting them as they work towards achieving their 2020 goal more broadly.” – Rob Bailes, senior consultant, Proforest

Transformation

Whether we are working with sugar beet farmers in Idaho or sugarcane farmers in Brazil, our commitment to improving the sustainability of sugar remains the same.

We have made solid progress in helping to transform on-farm practices so far and will continue this important work to ensure the sugar we use in our products meets our high expectations – and of the consumers who enjoy our food.

Photography courtesy of the Western Sugar Cooperative.

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This post captures a recent conversation I had with Heidi Diestel, a fourth-generation turkey farmer based in California, about her Thanksgiving traditions and her favorite turkey preparation.

(Left to Right) Heidi’s husband Jared Orrock (president), Heidi Diestel (sales and marketing) holding daughter Aurelia Orrock (fifth-generation turkey farmer), Garrett Diestel (operations), Jason Diestel (vice president of operations), Joan and Tim Diestel (owners) and Grandpa Jack Diestel (head turkey).

Does Diestel Family Ranch have an affiliation with EPIC Provisions?

The Diestels started working with EPIC in the early days and have been a large part of the No Antibiotic Ever (NAE) turkey supply for the EPIC bars, bites and strips. Last year, we were featured in the EPIC impact Journal and my brother Jason was a guest on EPIC’S Meatcast podcast (Episode 31).

What’s the Diestel Thanksgiving turkey of choice?

Each year, the bird we choose is different. Usually our family picks a large Diestel original turkey. Even though we typically only have about 10 to 15 people at our Thanksgiving table, we always roast a 30-plus pound turkey. Only once a year do we roast a bird that big. That’s because our family loves to cook and loves Thanksgiving leftovers.

What’s the Diestel Thanksgiving meal look like? What accompanies the turkey?

Our family’s Thanksgiving meal is usually quite traditional. The turkey dressing and stuffing is our great-great grandmother’s famous recipe. While for some, stuffing the turkey has fallen out of favor, we find it to be the best way to have the most flavorful dressing around.

Our gravy is a long-time family favorite. We always say that the secret to a fabulous gravy is basting the bird with a buttery, oak aged chardonnay about half to a quarter of the way through the roasting time. The wine gives the gravy a fantastic base flavor. It’s also a Diestel-must to roast the neck in the pan with the whole bird for the gravy. The neck rarely makes it past cooking time onto anyone’s plate for dinner. It is one of the tastiest parts of the bird.

While the sides – garlic mashed potatoes, a fresh mixed greens salad, and delicious homemade rolls – are a family-wide effort, Grandpa Jack, 92-years young, is no doubt the head chef on Thanksgiving. He preps the turkey, creates the stuffing, roasts the turkey, and makes the gravy. Though we all help him as sous chefs,

Grandpa Jack is definitely the one running the show. After the turkey is pulled from the oven and carved, everyone grabs a plate and the turkey is served straight off the bird. Gravy is on the stove and the rest of the sides are lined up buffet style. Our Aunt’s whiskey bread pudding, complete with creme fraiche and whiskey sauce, is always one of the many tasty dessert options, and it’s so good the next day for breakfast.

What’s the family’s turkey roasting technique?

Believe it or not, we use the same roasting technique every year for Thanksgiving. We create a paste of paprika, salt and olive oil or butter. Rub the entire bird with this paste, pour some water in the bottom of the roasting pan and place the turkey in the oven. We send these same roasting instructions home with every single turkey we sell. Though we try all sorts of roasting methods throughout the year, at Thanksgiving we always use this simple roasting style. We feel it puts the taste of the turkey front and center, and that’s what we want to taste on the big day. Maybe that’s our Italian heritage in full swing.

Who attends the family dinner?

We’re very close, so the Diestel Thanksgiving is an intimate gathering, typically with just our immediate family. It’s simple that way and always wonderful to share time together.

How do you spend Thanksgiving Day?

A traditional Thanksgiving Day on the Diestel Family Turkey Ranch is very simple, but the festivities start on Thanksgiving Eve. Thanksgiving Eve is very busy because many local customers are still coming out to pick up their turkey. We prepare for Thanksgiving all year long and take pride in producing the centerpiece of many family’s holiday celebrations. Turkey is a big part of what the holiday is about, and we want our birds to be perfect, every one of them.

We close the ranch at 4:30 p.m., toast our fantastic team to a job well done, and then close up the ranch’s salesroom. At this point, we head up to Grandpa’s house just up the road, and make sure our Thanksgiving turkey is soft and oven-ready for the next day. After that, we head back to my parent’s house to spend time with family and close friends. We gather to toast another wonderful Thanksgiving season at the Diestel Family Turkey Ranch.

This “wild turkey” celebration is potluck style when it comes to the food. One of our close friends is a master gardener, so she usually brings over amazing vegetables we incorporate into the meal. She is a big fan of Diestel compost. It is a night filled with laughs, joy and giving thanks. At around 8 p.m., I jump on the phone and Diestel email to field any last-minute turkey hotline questions.

Thanksgiving morning starts bright and early, typically around 5 a.m. Joan and I get up and begin to field any last-minute turkey questions. While we are on the phone, the boys head up to Grandpa’s to get our large turkey in the oven. At about 8 a.m., we take a little break and head out for a family run through the apple orchards in our neighborhood. When we get back, we have a very casual breakfast, turn on the Thanksgiving Day parade, and head back to the phones and email. At this point, the boys usually head out to check on the ranch. Around 2 p.m., the turkey hotline calls are winding down, and we all get ready to head to Grandpa Jack’s house for dinner. From 3 to 8 p.m., we eat, laugh, and then we eat some more.

Thanksgiving Day with the Diestel family is simply wonderful. It’s always quality time shared with family I love and delicious food we enjoy together. By far, it’s one of my favorite days of the year!

The Diestels were also recently featured in Whole Foods Magazine. 

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