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The idea actually emerged from Mario’s dread of spending another holiday schlepping to relatives’ homes at the Jersey Shore on the busiest travel day of the year.
For him, having Thanksgiving dinner at home was a perfectly acceptable, even preferable, alternative.
Mrs. Albuina had a different idea of what Thanksgiving dinner at home would look like.
“She said, ‘If you’re going to stay home, you might as well keep the shop open and give out dinners’,” her husband said. “The rest is history.”
This will be Mario’s Cafe’s 9th year in the turkey business, cementing the tradition for a restaurant that is something of a Hoboken tradition itself. It’s been at the corner of Garden and 8th for 24 years.
Last year, Mr. Albuina served 140 people, including families, college students who couldn’t get home for the holiday and homeless men and women from the Hoboken Shelter. He also delivered to several senior citizens.
More than half of the diners were regulars who have begun incorporating the annual event into their own holiday ritual. One family even head over from Brooklyn.
“We should do more [for others] in these hard times,” Mario said.
The turkey dinners include meat and stuffing, a vegetable and cake and coffee for dessert. Mario cooks an average of 14 birds, and the rest are donated.
Although e usually has leftovers for everyone to take home, he’s got a backup plan just in case he runs out.
“I just make pizza,” he said, laughing.
Mario’s Cafe, at 742 Garden Street, will be serving turkey dinners from 12 to 7 pm on Thanksgiving Day, this Thursday, Nov. 26.
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