Monday Q&A: That’ll be a lot of turkey at Modesto Gospel Mission

Got the jitters about getting the turkey just right for Thanksgiving and the mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy as well as all of the other dishes? Then gain some courage from Carlos Martinez.

The 48-year-old Martinez is the kitchen manager at the Modesto Gospel Mission, and he and his staff will be cooking a Thanksgiving meal for as many as 1,200 people. That’s about 300 turkeys (they start roasting them a couple of weeks before the meal, then debone and freeze them before thawing them out and reheating them for the meal), about 400 pounds of spuds they will turn into mashed potatoes, and all of the other fixings.

The meal will be the centerpiece of the mission’s annual Great Thanksgiving Banquet and Bundle Up on Nov. 25, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Besides a holiday meal, the mission hands out jackets, gloves, hats and other warm clothing.

What makes Martinez’s story amazing is the sum total of his professional experience as a cook is his 2 1/2 years running the mission kitchen. Before that he had worked for decades on boats and in construction. A one-year stint in prison for drugs led him to one of the mission’s rehabilitation programs and that eventually landed him in the kitchen. He did receive two weeks’ training from the person he succeeded, and he turns to family members and friends for cooking tips. Martinez and his staff make about 500 meals a day, including meatloaf, tamales, and biscuits with gravy.

“I like cooking at home and stuff,” he said, “but it’s totally different when you are cooking for (so many) people. But I don’t believe I’ve made a bad meal. God blessed me with the wisdom to cook. I love it.”

Martinez recently spoke with The Modesto Bee about what it’s like to cook a Thanksgiving meal at the mission:

Q: What’s it like to cook for 1,200 people?

A: It’s a spiritual joy that God has given me. It’s great to see other people enjoy something I’ve done. It’s an enjoyment to watch people walk by and say, “The food is great. Thank you.”

Q: How is it different from cooking at home?

A: One of the differences from cooking at home is at home I can make the food as spicy as I want it. I love spicy food – hot sauce, jalapenos. I grow my own peppers at home, and if I could, I would put peppers in everything here.

Q: Any disasters in the kitchen you want to share?

A: Two years in a row, one of the pieces of equipment that cooks four to seven turkeys at a time broke down on or before the day that I started preparing our Thanksgiving dinner, but as always, God pulls through. He makes it happen. We had that equipment go down so we cooked the turkeys 24 hours a day because we had the manpower.

Q: What does this meal mean to the people you feed?

A: This meal is probably the only Thanksgiving dinner for some of the people. It’s a blessing to be able to feed so many people. ... Some people are not going to have Thanksgiving because they might not have anywhere to cook it because they are homeless or may not have the food even if they have a place to cook it.

Q: What are you thankful for?

A: I’m thankful to have my life back. I’m just grateful to live a good life. It’s a struggle sometimes. It’s not easy being a Christian. But I’m just grateful for what I have right now in my life. I’ve got my freedom, and I’ve got a job. I don’t have to wake up wanting drugs. ... I don’t wake up to that thinking no more.

Q: Finally, white meat or dark meat?

A: White meat is my personal option. I like the taste and the juice that it releases when you bite into it.

Modesto Gospel Mission Executive Director Kevin Carroll said the mission needs donations of new or gently used coats, hats, gloves and other warm clothing and turkeys for the event. Monetary donations also are appreciated. Those willing to donate can call the mission at 209-529-8259.

This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Monday Q&A: That’ll be a lot of turkey at Modesto Gospel Mission."