Relax. Roast. Rejoice: The Star presents an Artisan Thanksgiving for 2014

Before Jonathan Justus of Justus Drugstore took up professional cooking, he worked as a bike messenger in San Francisco.

One Thanksgiving, he flew back to his hometown of Smithville, Mo., relishing the idea of digging into mashed potatoes pooled with good gravy then carving up a moist, succulent bird. But instead his typically homecooked homecoming feast turned into a matching set of turkey and ham loaves purchased at a supermarket deli.

“I couldn’t believe I had flown halfway across the country for factory food,” Justus recalls during a stop at The Star photo studios for today’s special Artisan Thanksgiving section.

“I was shocked and decided that was the last holiday meal I didn’t cook myself. Even if you eat that way the rest of the year there are certain times you should put the effort out. Otherwise, what is the entire point of Thanksgiving?”

My 16-year-old daughter Daniela shares a similar righteous indignation when it comes to taking liberties with her favorite holiday fare. “I don’t think you understand how important Thanksgiving is to me,” she said when I told her we were going to be spending the day with our “Second Family.”

Daniela’s reaction both surprised and pleased me. She is actually not much of traditionalist in other respects of her life, but her Thanksgiving meal is not to be messed with. Instant mashed potato flakes from a box — a staple my Space Age generation grew up with — are out of the question.

As the text messages flew back and forth about who was willing to bring what to our framily Thanksgiving meal, Daniela insisted I put dibs on the mashed potatoes — homemade with a few lumps we’ll call “rustic.” And my dressing — from a recipe I included in a Thanksgiving section about 10 years back that includes dried cherries and bits of goat cheese, a dish with an admittedly contemporary spin.

And she needed a guarantee our friend Eric would bring the sweet potatoes, a dish that Daniela’s been eating since she was old enough to sit in a high chair. And Laurie would bring the Irish soda bread, which has become a traditional Thanksgiving dish for us.

“OK, does she like anything we make?:)” texted Beth, one of the hosts and a fabulous cook, food blogger and cookbook author.

“I think anything you make rates. Only a few things we make do,” I texted back, feeling sheepish at being put in the position of feast domination.

I like to think what Daniela has really picked up on is the value — and cherished memories — that get wrapped up in a meal well made.

The more Americans become tethered to technology, the more we are likely to crave things natural, authentic and handcrafted. Even intentionally lumpy. The chefs I invited to share recipes for this special section convey a similar message. If there was a common thread between them, it might boil down to “Relax. Roast. Rejoice.”

As I set out to find props and backdrops to convey our artisanal theme, I had the chefs and their unique recipes in mind. That is until I stumbled across three local artisans: one making practical pieces of pottery for everyday use, another crafting salvaged wood cutting boards and the third creating some very clever salt boxes with a swing lid — just the sort of treasured kitchen implements that reflect our need to step away from a mass-produced world, if only for one meal a year.

One of Justus’ most satisfying feast days? An entire Thanksgiving day spent with 30 to 40 people that sounds like a perfect cross between chaotic and Rockwellian. Everyone had fun pitching in to make a huge meal from scratch while the host “dispatched” the turkey from yonder on his property. “It was one of the best Thanksgivings I’ve ever been to because it was such beautiful theater,” he says.

Which is not to say that Thanksgiving necessarily needs to be a showy, meat-centered affair or follow a classic menu. After all, Justus enjoys his cousin’s vegan Christmas dinner as much as he does a plump turkey.

“It doesn’t matter what you eat,” Justus says, “as long as there is some soul.”

This story was originally published November 15, 2014 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Relax. Roast. Rejoice: The Star presents an Artisan Thanksgiving for 2014."