MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — The scent of smoked turkey filled the air at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Menomonee Falls on Wednesday morning.
"You always got our basic seasonings, salt pepper, chili powder, paprika, and ya know…love," Jonas Mack, the owner of Smoked @ 225 explained.
Love is the most important ingredient for Jonas.
"Love is love. And there's a lot of love in cooking. That's an ingredient you can't get off the shelf. If you're not doing it from the heart, don't do it all.”
He and his wife Amy are the sponsors for a free Thanksgiving meal at the church.
"This is the first time we have done it at Holy Cross, but through my time in the Army, my wife and I have done it years and years on hand,” Jonas explained.
He used to prepare a meal for fellow military members who were alone on the holiday.
"Once we retired, we realized now that we actually missed doing Thanksgiving meals, so this is our opportunity to get that comradery and fellowship back again."
Senior Pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Meredith Musaus, said she was on board with the idea the moment Jonas brought it to the table.
“It’s just really a wonderful gift not to just those who will gather but to those of us who are able to make it happen."
This meal will be served from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the church off Pilgrim Road.
"To be able to have the church doors open and including and just being able to have a lot of conversation,” Musaus explained.
"Tomorrow is going to be a bang of a day," said Jonas.
He said it was a team effort to make this all happen. The goal is to feed about 500 people with 100 turkeys. "The community has stepped up to the plate. It has nothing to with Smoked @ 225. It has something to do with the hearts of the people that occupy this area."
If you need a Thanksgiving meal, TMJ4 made a list of meals in the area.
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