By 10 a.m., the lines had already formed outside the Medium Rare restaurant in D.C.’s Cleveland Park neighborhood.
People from Baltimore, Laurel and just around the corner in Northwest D.C. were among those lining up to have their turkeys deep fried.
Mark Bucher, co-founder of Medium Rare, took obvious joy in hosting the event, where turkeys were unpacked, seasoned and deep fried outside the restaurant while people were invited to head inside for drinks and snacks.
“You know traditions are rare around here,” said Bucher, who is in his 18th year of providing the service.
The only thing Bucher asks in return is a donation to “Feed the Fridge,” his nonprofit dedicated to helping feed food insecure families all year long.
Everyone’s welcome, Bucher said, explaining the service is especially welcome for people who may have received donated birds but have no way to cook them.
“We also do it for people living in Potomac and Great Falls and Georgetown that don’t want to burn their house down,” Bucher said.
Alejandro Mazariegos and Andra Badani came with four turkeys to prepare.
“We have a huge family,” Badani said. And, looking at Mazariegos, she said: “He drove here from Manassas, so he’s really committed to having this turkey brought home.”
Safety was something Badani had on her mind. She said she has a small town house, and no space for an outdoor turkey fryer. “I would catch it on fire, I’d have the firefighters in my house in five minutes if I were to do this,” she said, laughing.
Bucher said his crew has the process down to a science, with special gloves, tongs and thermometers to monitor the hot oil.
Two quick tips he offered: “Don’t do this in your garage and don’t do this on your deck — do it far away from your house, and a fully thawed, not a frozen turkey,” he said.
And should a flame start, do not under any circumstance try to fight it with water. The best bit of advice, according to many people in line, was bring it to Bucher’s restaurant.
Ashley Asfaw, from Laurel, called the opportunity to have Medium Rare do the deep frying while raising money to fight hunger a great way to give back.
“Me and my friend, we’ve made it a tradition now, we come and we do it together.”
Asked about her favorite sides for the holiday? Asfaw said it’s got to be macaroni and cheese, without any add-ins.
“No eggs!” she said with a smile.
Badani was asked about her plans for handling the leftovers from the big meal.
“The plan is to eat, eat and eat!” she said, laughing with Mazariegos by her side.
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