Generosity On Their Menu Clinkerdagger Restaurant Crew Continues Tradition Of Banquet That Gives A Lift

At least Starsha Huebel got to have some pumpkin pie with her mom.

All smiles on Thanksgiving, the 8-year-old finished her turkey dinner, had some dessert with her cousins, and then was off to the hospital. That’s where her mom is spending the holiday during a difficult pregnancy Starsha hopes will end with a baby brother in January.

She has three to thank for a special day. First is her aunt, Delores Burnett. Another is the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.

Then there is the Clinkerdagger restaurant and staff, which put on a charitable banquet - with children like Starsha in mind.

Each year Clinkerdagger’s crew dresses up the restaurant all in Christmas, then opens its doors to host a special Thanksgiving affair.

With fresh linens, shiny silverware and spotless glasses, the restaurant sets out each year to do something a little bit special for people who need a treat.

This year, the restaurant invited families from the crisis nursery and Head Start Crosswalk program to share in an elegant dinner.

The service was quick and friendly; the food mouth-watering. Giving up a lucrative holiday dinner business, chef Bob Aldred said, is a tradition the restaurant savors.

Much of the food is donated, and Aldred and a crew of current and former workers and their families each year work to put on a first-class feast. This year they hoped to serve more than 250 people.

By 1 p.m., the restaurant had served 240 pounds of turkey; 60 pounds of mashed potatoes with the skins left on; 35 pounds of stuffing; 25 pounds of mixed vegetables in a garlic-butter sauce with lemon; yams garnished with brown sugar and pecans; 400 dinner rolls; and enough pie for guests to take a slice to a loved one.

“This is so nice, really,” said Burnett, who brought her family of seven to the restaurant and visited her hospitalized sister afterward.

With one of the best dinner tables in the city overlooking Spokane Falls, she said the little things made it especially worth it.

“It’s going to be nice not having to do all these dishes,” she said knowingly across the table littered with plates.

Sixteen-year-old Sean Larsen, a guest from the Crosswalk program, said he was a bit overwhelmed by the generosity.

So was David Elliott, a student at the Crosswalk school, who wasn’t too talkative after his big meal.

“I don’t know what to say. It was nice,” he said as he left.

Crosswalk, a program of the Volunteers of America, provides shelter, food, clothes and help for children.

“It’s a place a where kids can find shelter from the streets,” Larsen said after dinner. “It’s a place of caring and warmth. So is this place.”