The line begins outside Jive Turkey
Thanksgiving in Clinton Hill just wouldn’t be the same without the around-the-block lines to Jive Turkey, leading up to the big day. This has been my second year witnessing the massive lines down Myrtle Ave., smelling the scent of cooked turkey from blocks away and watching as employees work late into the night as they pack hundreds of boxes with fried turkeys to ship around the country. This morning as I walked by folks were sitting in folding chairs, drinking coffee out of thermoses and chatting as they waited to be let into the store to claim their order. I’ve never tasted fried turkey before, but it seems to be a force to be reckoned with.
The instigator of this local turkey craze is Jive Turkey owner Aricka Westbrooks who was the recipient of a business grant from Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. Ms. Westbrooks used the funds to open the business.
To hear more about Restoration’s diverse work check out BHS’ oral history collection of over 50 interviews with founding Board members, supporters, activists, artists, tenants and other community members who helped shape the organization’s work over the years.