Not Everything Matt McCallister Eats is Local and Foraged

FT33's Matt McCallister is sort of the Dallas poster boy for local, seasonal eating and foraging, so it's easy to imagine that the chef survives solely on a diet of pickled ramps, local tomatoes, and foraged dandelions — or something like that. But now here comes the Dallas Observer to shatter our illusions with a feature in which a dozen-plus local chefs give the lowdown on what they'll be cooking and/or eating for Thanksgiving.

McCallister tells City of Ate that "the most amazing thing in the world" is green chili cheesy potatoes, a concoction that, much like your grandma's green bean casserole, is [gasp] made entirely from canned and frozen products. (Five-star chefs — they're just like us!) McCallister also gives the lowdown on his go-to stuffing, a somewhat intricate-sounding process that involves air-drying three types of bread for a week.

Other interesting tidbits from the piece: Gemma's Stephen Rogers may forego the traditional turkey in favor of "a poulet au vinaigre in a combination of tomato and vinegar or an Indian turkey vindaloo," and Pakpao partner Jet Tila says "he's been making a sausage and chestnut dressing laced with fresh truffles for years." Fancy.