Tenderloin Tessie Thanksgiving Day Dinner 2021. Things weren’t quite back to normal, but we got a little closer. The Pandemic still kept our guests socially distanced, but seated at tables indoors and outdoors. It was so good to sing for my great big extended family at TT. Too long apart. Thank you to Michael Gagne, President of Tenderloin Tessie for providing such a lovely dinner and safety protocols, and to James Campbell for his ever-faithful accompanying at the piano.
I love this photo taken by my love Robert McLoud. Each holiday dinner that I sing at Tenderloin Tessie, I bring a candelabra to light on top of the grand piano. I always light the candles before starting my first song of the afternoon. This is a family tradition from my childhood. My mama – always the impeccable hostess — always took a moment before serving any special holiday dinner to light the candles on the dinner table. This was followed by her asking each guest to share the thing that they were most grateful for that holiday…then a blessing for the meal…then we finally got to eat! I really feel the love of my dear mother so close to me every time I light the candelabra to entertain for Tenderloin Tessie Dinners.