Rose Garden Resident

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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer

Rose Garden Favorite: Conrad Zanotto and his family have been offering Thanksgiving dinners to customers at Zanotto's Deluxe Market on Naglee and Bascom avenues for the past decade, using the same spices and methods they use at home.

Zanotto family shares Thanksgiving tradition

By Mary Gottschalk

For the past decade, the harried, hurried and clueless have turned to Zanotto's Family Market in the Rose Garden for turkey help at Thanksgiving.

This year Fred Zanotto expects his family-owned operation to sell around 500 of its special "Turkey in a Bag."

The turkeys are seasoned, packaged inside a bag and sitting in a pan--ready to be put into the oven just as they are.

Zanotto says it's a simple process the family has been using for years to serve the clan, which numbers as many as 80 on Thanksgiving.

"It's so easy," he says. "It comes out the same exact way no matter who cooks it, if you follow the instructions.

"It became so easy for us, we said, 'Let's offer this to the public.' "

They did, and the number of sales increases each year.

Zanotto doesn't know how many home chefs reveal their secret, but he says buyers are "everybody, from the richest of the rich to everyday people."

"It's a simple recipe. There's no cleaning, no spices you need to add. Just come over and pick it up in a bag in a foil pan with instructions. You slam it in the oven and pull it out, and you're done--no mess."

All the turkeys are fresh, as are the more than 500 others they sell each year in addition to the ones in a bag.

"We don't sell frozen turkeys. We've never sold a frozen turkey," Zanotto says. "We sell Ladino and Willie Bird, which are all-natural and free-range."

As Thanksgiving nears, Zanotto and his crew go to work.

"We start at 2 a.m., and by 7 a.m., we're done," he says. "We do 150 a night, and the next day we do it again."

Customers can order turkeys by specific poundage up to a week before Thanksgiving.

Zanotto then takes the total number ordered and makes another 50 to sell on a first-come basis.

Customers pick up their birds on the day before or on Thanksgiving itself, when the store is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

With "Turkey in a Bag" a hit, it's not surprising five years ago Zanotto started offering "Prime Rib in a Bag."

This year he expects to sell more than 200.

"It takes a good hour to prepare a prime rib and get it all set," he says. "We save people the time. We have a herb crust we've developed, and customers love it. It's the same as we sell here for our lunches."

Many people buy both a turkey and a prime rib, with each priced by the pound. For 2006, a "Turkey in a Bag" is $3.69 a pound and a "Prime Rib in a Bag" is $11.99 a pound.

With the success of both the turkey and prime rib sales, Zanotto's has expanded its offerings of side dishes. More than 20 offerings range from hors d'oeuvres such as a spinach dip or roasted garlic brie to a pumpkin pie for dessert. There's also fresh cranberry orange relish, three choices of stuffing, gravy and yams.

When the store closes on Thanksgiving, Zanotto says the entire family will gather for its own celebration. Members will serve "Turkey in a Bag," "Prime Rib in a Bag," their own honey-glazed ham and most of the same side dishes they sell to customers.

After Thanksgiving, they'll start the whole process over again as orders come in for Christmas and other holiday gatherings.

Zanotto's Family Market is at 1970 Naglee Ave., near Bascom Avenue. Its telephone is 408.294.9151.