A Thanksgiving Story

by Amy Strauss

At first glance, Portofino Restaurant's sumptuous decor and ritzy 12th and Walnut location endear it to a specific group of patrons — namely showgoers who feel no financial strain from taking in great meals. Most of the restaurant's entrees hover around the $20 mark; executive chef Giuseppe Falconio's luscious filet mignon will set you back $36. Quite simply, you get what you pay for.

But what if you can't pay?

For eight Thanksgivings, Portofino owner Ralph Berarducci has opened his restaurant to those unable to afford a seat at his tables. But he's not targeting penny-pinching professionals with $30 Restaurant Week pre-fixes: He's reaching out to Philadelphia's homeless. This Thursday, from 1 to 6 p.m., Portofino will serve Thanksgiving dinner to those with nowhere else to go. The every-other-year event, which Berarducci began in 1991, consistently draws crowds of more than 500.

Berarducci, 70, immigrated from Italy's Abruzzo region 40 years ago, and established Portofino in the mid-1970s. While he's never slept on a park bench, he found getting by in America to be exceptionally hard when he first moved here. It wasn't long before he recognized the homelessness problem in Philadelphia. At first, he'd give out meals or money to people who needed a hand. He once stumbled across a group of homeless people asleep on a storm drain, so he fed them and put them up in a hotel for a week. He's worked with local priests to help out people in need, and has a long-term goal of opening his own halfway house. Yet despite these acts of kindness, Berarducci knew he could do more. "There are too many people out there ... to feed," he says. "[That's why] I bring them to Portofino."

To fill the seats, Berarducci boards a bus and travels around the city, picking up his guests along the way. He then joins chef Falconio, his restaurant staff and a crew of volunteers to cook up a truly extravagant spread. Forty turkeys will fill Berarducci's kitchen, along with mashed potatoes, fresh-baked breads and pies (both pumpkin and apple). Each dish, from the turkey stuffing to the cranberry sauce, is made from scratch on the premises, with just as much care as Portofino's lobster ravioli or fettuccine Abruzzese.

His menus may be complicated, but his call to action is simple: "If you do not have a Thanksgiving, a turkey, a family," he says, "come share with me and my family."

(a_strauss@citypaper.net)

Portofino Restaurant, 1227 Walnut St., 215-923-8208.