PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Many Thanksgiving traditions, like the parade in Philadelphia, have been shelved this year. But one South Philly tradition is rising above it: People are taking their turkeys to get cooked at Cacia’s Bakery.
The line outside the bakery at Mole and Ritner streets started to form at 4 a.m. The first customer in line was actually a first-timer.
“We’ve been saying every year, we want to try this,” said Veronica Reel. “So here we are — the pandemic, rain and all.”
Reel and dozens of others weathered occasional early-morning downpours while waiting outside. They were all masked and standing in line at a distance. Instead of letting a lot of people in at once, as it usually does, the bakery allowed one customer in at a time — plus their turkey.
In all, 74 turkeys were brought in to be cooked, priced at $26 each.
Owner Sam Cacia said he wanted to provide a sense of comfort during the pandemic and continue a tradition that goes back four decades.
“That was my goal,” he said, “to try and bring normalcy to something that’s not so normal right now. It’s just good to know that when everybody goes home, they’ll have their turkey, it’ll be done great, and forget about everything that’s going on around them.”
“It’s nice to have camaraderie and family traditions going on,” added Colleen Brown of South Philadelphia, who was one of the first people in line. “My mom’s sitting here (in line) with me right now and we’re spending time together during these hard times.”
It’s sometimes hard to put into words what makes a Cacia baked turkey worth standing in line for at 4 a.m., but Brown’s mother, Carol, didn’t hesitate to explain why.
“It is crispier. It tastes really good. The temperature being even — turkeys are great when they come out of here,” she said.
Lisa Hughes, who has been taking her turkey to the bakery for nearly a decade, credits Cacia’s brick oven.
“They seem to make the turkey more juicy. No complaints ever,” she said. “Once you do it one year, there’s kind of no going back.”
This year, the oven started out at 450 degrees — it’s higher if there are more turkeys to cook. It takes three to five hours, depending on the size.
Customers can look forward to enjoying the traditional taste at home during an untraditional time.
“We’re gonna have Zoom meetings!” Reel exclaimed.