A Top Chef Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday for most Americans. It's a time to get together with family and enjoy great company and lots and lots of food. We posed two questions to Top Cheftestants from all 6 seasons: What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish? and What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? Here are the answers we got back....

What is your favorite Thanksgiving Dish?

Michael Voltaggio: When I'm cooking, I break turkeys down whole and cook them sous vide, and you can quote me on this, I serve turkey that's not dry.
Fave Thanksgiving dish to eat: I love stuffing - any kind of stuffing. I don't eat it thorughout the year, only on Thanksgiving.

Bryan Voltaggio: I love pumpkin pie or pumpkin custard. I wait until Thanksgiving. I never eat it any other time of the year.

Season 1's Stephen Asprinio: Caramelized Pumpkin with Guanciale, Pecans, Sage-Brown Butter & Pecorino Romano

Season 4 champ Stephanie Izard: my favorite thanksgiving dish is green bean casserole! can not live without it! and i love to have a tasty suckling pig instead of turkey :)

Season 5 finalist Stefan Richter: Gravy, dark meat and stuffing

Season 4's Nikki Cascone: My favorite dish is the simplist thing my mom made year after year my entire life.. Candied Yams. I alwasy get one whole tray she makes just for me and I feed on it for a week!! I am a pretty healthy eater so I love Thanksgiving becasue it is glutonous and glorious for food memories. My mom made those candoed yams smothered in brown sugar, butter and LOTS of mini MARSHMALLOWS. With all of my cooking experience I have learned to lighten up the dish a little when I prepare it but for the most part I dont change a thing!! and I have one other very crazy thing I love about Thanksgiving besides the time spent with family..jellied cranberry sauce right from the can! I love, love, love it but I only eat it on thanksgiving and very often right along side the FRESH cranberry sauce that I make!

What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?

Michael: When I first started working in the kitchen when I was 15, I was helping make the big Thanksgiving buffet and they made me dress up like a pilgrm. I don't know if it's my favorite, but it's one that stands out...maybe it's more of a traumatizing experience.

Bryan: The last time in 2001 or 2002, it was the last time Michael, Staci (their sister) and I were with our mother for Thanksgiving. We're normally never in the same state, or kitchen.

Stephen: Cooking with my grandmother for the first time on Thanksgiving Day

Stephanie Izard: my best memory was at my aunt nancy's house. my sister decided to make a baked brie which she poured liquor over before placing in the oven to bake...bad idea. when she opened up the oven to take a peak, a huge flame burst out and singed quite a bit of her curly hair. priceless moment. i could not stop laughing, the nice sister that i am.

Stefan Richter: I got laid for the first time on Thanksgiving.

Nikki Cascone: I have a very large family so the best memories I have are the ones where the most of us make it under one roof!

Bonus Wine Tip from Stephen: When selecting a wine for Thanksgiving, go American with the wine we can call our own, California Zinfandel. If your looking for a killer Zin at a reasonable price point, check out Ravenswood, Seghesio or Renwood.