LAFAYETTE, La. — For 27 years, Bailey's Seafood and Grill in Lafayette serves meals to the less fortunate on Thanksgiving Day.
The tradition has become one for the restaurant's owners and employees, but also one for some Lafayette families who continue to volunteer each year.
No kitchen in Acadiana is as busy as the kitchen at Bailey's on Thanksgiving Day, and for the volunteers who come here year after year, there is no way they would rather have it.
For as long as she can remember, Natalie Piccione has spent Thanksgiving in the Bailey's kitchen.
"It's not thanksgiving without this. Its almost like I feel selfish being here because this just makes me feel so good!" she said. "It's been such an amazing experience. I've cut pies a few years. I've cleaned dishes before. So many of these people are just so happy to have this opportunity."
From cutting pies to setting tables, there's love in every step of this thanksgiving tradition,"
"They have this many meals to serve and this many people to serve and yet they still care about what they're serving," Piccione said. "Like the brocolli, they wanted to get it perfect. The right amount of brocolli, the right amount of cheese. Like they're not just throwing this together for whoever is going to eat it. This was made with love."
And come meal time, the love is all around.
The tradition has become one not just for the restaurant's owner and employees, but also one for some Lafayette families who continue to volunteer each year.
