This Is What's On Stanley Tucci's Thanksgiving Menu

You might know Stanley Tucci as the actor who starred in hit films like "The Hunger Games" and "The Devil Wears Prada" (via IMDb), but perhaps you also know him from his CNN show "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy," in which he explores the country through the lens of food (via CNN). Or maybe you're familiar with his cookbooks, which include "The Tucci Cookbook," a work featuring recipes inspired by his family's Italian heritage (via Simon & Schuster). 

Tucci may have achieved fame through acting, but, as his new memoir "Taste: My Life Through Food" notes, food has become his life's passion, especially after suffering from oral cancer, which partially impaired his ability to taste. "Whenever I went to restaurants, if it was a good restaurant, I would figure out a way to insinuate myself into the kitchen shamelessly, so that I could just sort of see the way they work, and what the setup was, and maybe ask how they made a certain dish. It was fascinating to me," he said in an interview with The New Yorker. Given that Tucci is a big fan of food, it's no surprise he has big plans for one of the biggest foodie holidays of the year: Thanksgiving.

According to Bon Appétit, Stanley Tucci goes all out for Thanksgiving, even setting the table with formal china and treating his guests to martinis. This is a tradition Tucci inherited. As he explained, "When I was growing up, my dad, who is an artist, would always make little place cards." The Tucci family Thanksgiving event will start off with an antipasti, something that his mother commonly included on the menu when she prepared meals. As for the main course, dishes will include turkey filled with a stuffing including water chestnuts, a homemade cranberry sauce, baked sweet potatoes (complete with a little maple syrup), and Brussels sprouts accompanied by pancetta.

After undergoing radiation treatments, Tucci doesn't take his ability to eat food for granted. "I mean, if you can't eat and enjoy food, how are you going to enjoy everything else?" Tucci said (via The New York Times). So the fact that he can enjoy this holiday feast is certainly something to be thankful for.