Restaurant gives back to the locals
What is now a celebration of three days off of school originally started with pilgrims giving thanks to the American Indians with a cornucopia and wild turkey.
And while the turkey may not be wild and the pilgrims few, the idea behind Thanksgiving is still the same. For one Logan hot spot, the return of thanks is known across the valley.
Known as “where the locals eat,” more than 700 people crowded Angie’s on Thanksgiving, where it offered a free turkey dinner to all.
“This community puts shoes on my kids feet year-round,” owner Saboor Sahely said. “This is our way of saying thank you very much.”
Sahely has been providing the meal since he became owner the restaurant 15 years ago. It is his way of honoring a tradition he originally knew nothing about as an international student from Afghanistan in 1978, when he said he had no idea what the five-day weekend was all about.
Now, he said he has a lot to be thankful for and wants to share what Thanksgiving is all about. “There are times when you just don’t want to make money,” Sahely said. Instead, he said he focuses on balancing life’s checkbook by giving back to the community. He said anyone is invited to take part in the dinner, whether it is someone who can’t afford a meal, an international student stuck in Logan or senior citizens. “We came last year and we enjoyed it, so we decided to come again,” Lynette McMurray, of Preston, Idaho, said. There with her four children, husband and mother, she said she enjoyed not having to worry about cooking dinner.
“I always enjoyed someone else’s cooking better than my own,” she said. The family heard about the event from Options for Independence, an organization for those with disabilities.
More than 70 employees worked through the night to cook 32 turkeys and more than 800 slices of pumpkin pie were served. Every year, the restaurant chooses a local charity where people can place donations instead of paying for the food. This year, $2,800 was donated to Habitat for Humanity. Past charities have included the Children’s Justice Center and CAPSA.
David Mclloyd of Logan said he was going to cook a turkey with his two friends, but it didn’t thaw out in time. He came to Angie’s last year for the holiday and decided to bring his friends this year. They donated to Habitat for Humanity instead of replacing their bird. “I think it’s great,” Mclloyd said. “It’s a great community service.”
Sahely doesn’t know how much the dinner costs the restaurant, and doesn’t worry about it. He enjoys the energy it brings to the restaurant too much.
“We’ll continue to do it as long as the sign reads ‘Angie’s Restaurant’,” Sahely said.
-natandrews@cc.usu.edu