- December 13, 2025
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Brio Italian Grille Executive Chef Josué Pabellón said it's not spices, marinades or secret recipes that make Thanksgiving dinners so special.
"It is that they are prepped with love," he said.
And that, more than anything, is what he remembers about growing up in a family of chefs in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico.
His father, Angel Diaz, was a chef and his mother, Abigail Diaz, was a pastry chef. His brother, Hector Pabellón eventually became a pastry chef.
And Josue, all through his childhood, loved being a part of the Thanksgiving preparation for the 25 people who would show up at his grandmother Juana Diaz's home.
"My job was marinating the turkey," he said, remembering back to the time he was a child. "It was a lot of salt, pepper and garlic. Then there were herbs and seasonings. We let it sit overnight, and then the next day it would cook four to six hours."
It was a wonderful time, and he said there was no reason it had to last just one day.
When people go to bed on this Thanksgiving night, it's a good bet their refrigerators will be stuffed with turkey, dressing, green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and rolls. For his family in Puerto Rico, that meant the fun was just beginning. He said it could be the same for you.
Leftovers for Pabellón's family meant sweet potatoes that had been stuffed with the leftover turkey that had been ripped apart.
"Then we would put cranberry sauce on top," he said. "It was so good."
The following days were filled with cranberry turkey sliders, which were a way to use up the rolls, the turkey, and the cranberry sauce. His grandmother also came up with his favorite leftover — turkey balls.
It was just a matter of rolling ripped up turkey, leftover stuffing, Panko bread crumbs, and eggs together into balls and then cooking them in a 350-degree oven.
"They were so soft and flavorful," he said.
Even better was that the kids would roll all the ingredients together with their hands, and laugh the entire time while they were cooking and eating.
He loves that every family has its own special ingredients or recipes that add a personal stamp to the holiday celebration. And whether that recipe comes from the turkey dinner made right at home, or by using leftovers from Pabellón's Brio Italian Grille kitchen doesn't matter.
On Nov 24, Pabellón said it was "game on" the Monday before Thanksgiving. He already has checked al the products on the previous day to make sure the restaurant has everything it needs. On Monday, about half of the turkey is cooked.
It takes time to prepare the 350 pounds of stuffing — Brio's Italian touch is that it adds sausage to its stuffing — and 260 pounds of green beans. Twenty cases of rolls (with 40 in a case) are ready to go. The 10 gallons of gravy is made in-house, and the 20 gallons of cranberry sauce is ready to be dished out.
The 600 turkey breasts (the restaurant only serves turkey breasts in hits Thanksgiving Day meals) is prepared over the days as the holiday approaches.
It's a lot of work for Pabellón and his staff, which normally concentrates on the restaurant's Italian menu. But Pabellón, who has been a chef for 20 years, loves the break from the norm and the connection with his childhood.
He said the marinade used for the Brio Italian Grille's turkey is very similar to the marinade he used as a kid. That makes him smile.
Brio General Manager Jamie Jarrell said her restaurant will be feeding close to 900 guests on Thanksgiving at the restaurant, and another 30-to-50 families who will order take-out feasts that come in portions for four-to-five people or eight-to-10.
It is the culmination of months of planning.
"On July 1, which is my birthday, I am already thinking about Thanksgiving (and preparing a meal)," Pabellón said. "I enjoy it. It's been my passion my entire life. It runs through my blood."
Jarrell said each year the demand for dining out on Thanksgiving becomes greater.
"People are not cooking as much as they used to," she said. "They like the option of not having to clean up the mess, and not dealing with drama."
If you want leftovers from Pabellón's kitchen, you will have to either bring them home from Brio's or order a to-go Thanksgiving feast. Brio's only goes off its Italian course for Thanksgiving so it's back to the regular menu the next day.
Don't feel sorry for those leftovers, though. Brio's gives back to the community, and donates its leftovers to those in need.
Here are some of Pabellón's leftover favorites that you can make in your own kitchen.
Combine the mashed potatoes, egg, all-purpose flour, chives, cheese, salt, and pepper. The mixture should be slightly sticky, but it should hold its shape
Heat the oil and when it reaches, 325 degrees (F) or it sizzles, start forming your pancakes. Form and fry as you go. Lightly wet your hands, to prevent the potato mixture from sticking. Measure out about 1/4 cup of the pancake mixture and form it into a pancake. Fry 3-4 minutes a side. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Preheat over to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Mix the stuffing, buttermilk, eggs, turkey, parsley, salt and pretzels. Roll mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and arrange on the baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. While meatballs are cooking, stir cinnamon, orange zest and garlic powder into cranberry sauce. Serve meatballs warm with cranberry sauce.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Cut rolls in half and set tops aside. Evenly distribute turkey meat over the bottom of the rolls. Spread cranberry sauce onto turkey. Sprinkle cheddar cheese and close sliders with top buns. Melt the butter in a microwave, add green onions and Worcestershire and stir to combine all ingredients. Using a pastry brush, brush rolls with the butter mixture. Cover dish with foil. Bake for 12 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until a golden brown color is reached, about 10 more minutes.
