Thirty-two apple pies were sliced and served at this year's Thanksgiving holiday dinner held in the Star and Clewell dining halls on November 20, 2024.
Every year in the days before Thanksgiving, Moravian University hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for students. The meal is prepared by our dining service partner, Sodexo, and served to students by faculty and staff. President Grigsby is on hand to squeeze mounds of whipped cream on top of slices of pumpkin pie, and he and First Lady Lea Grigsby make the rounds to chat with diners.
Every year students pack the Star (below) and Clewell dining halls for this scrumptious holiday meal.
Inside Moravian decided to go behind the scenes and find out what goes into preparing and serving this memorable feast. We asked executive chef, Gene Siegfried for the scoop.
Ingredients
315 lbs. turkey breast (30 boneless breasts)
110 lbs. ham (6 whole pit hams)
40 lbs. sweet potatoes, baked
210 lbs. potatoes, mashed
180 lbs. Old-Fashioned Bread Stuffing
240 lbs. green bean casserole
120 lbs. corn, steamed
90 lbs. mushroom ravioli
80 lbs. composed salads
120 lbs. carrots, steamed
1,200 fresh dinner rolls
32 pumpkin pies, each cut into 10 pieces
32 apple pies, each cut into 10 pieces
4 full sheet trays of fudge brownies
120 pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Tofurkey and vegan brownies upon request
Preparation
For the Wednesday night dinner, preparation begins on Monday.
Monday
Thaw and marinate all the turkeys.
Cut bread and vegetables for the stuffing.
Tuesday
Prep the sides and desserts so they are ready to cook and bake the next day.
Wednesday
Start cooking by 10 a.m. for the 5 p.m. service.
The people behind the meal
A special thank you goes out to the following people who make this special dinner happen.
2 bakers: Allyn Kerchner and Alice Werheiser
9 cooks: Siegfried, Trisha Brickhouse, Paul Dugan, Omar Garcia-Cora, Justin Kiefer, Susan Monge, Nicole Troxell, Chris Wetmore, and Calin Yenser
8 front-of-the house servers: Bri Croslis, Rex Depietro, Amir Farmer, Jacob Gaugler, Geselle Johnson, Jessica Rabenold, Cameron Rogers, and Michaela Szabo
7 dish-room staff: Spenser Barbera, Kalum Gonzalez, Nicholas Gonzalez, Dakota Hart, Ivan Rivera Montes, Juan Perez, and Anthony Robinson
“I’ve attended the Thanksgiving dinner almost every year,” says Liliana Brockway ’25. “I thoroughly enjoy seeing faculty and staff members interacting with the students as they serve the food. President Grigsby makes a point to visit as many tables as he can and speak with every student. It’s such a warm and welcoming atmosphere. As for the food, I love the apple and pumpkin pies, although the tofurkey (tofu turkey) is pretty delicious.”