Wegmans Talks Turkey on Twitter

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — While ShopRite's Chefs On Call assisted frazzled cooks with day-of emergencies last week, Wegmans Food Markets took to Twitter to help shoppers better plan their Thanksgiving feast.

Mark Makovec, executive chef for the chain, responded to questions tweeted with the hashtag #turkey911 last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.

Inquiries ranged from questions about wines that pair well with turkey (Wegmans suggests MacMurray Chardonnay for white and Estancia Meritage or Beaujolais Nouveau for red) to the optimal temperature for preparing a heritage turkey.

Alternate cooking methods were a point of interest for those who planned to bypass traditional oven roasting. One consumer asked about the best brine to use on a turkey he intended to smoke in a barbecue pit, while another had questions about deep frying a bird.

Wegmans featured the Twitter feed on its homepage beside links to instructional YouTube videos. Topics ranged from how to choose and roast the perfect holiday turkey to carving time savers.

While Wegmans helped harried shoppers via social media, others offered telephone assistance. Chefs from ShopRite's Culinary Workshop manned phones Sunday through Thanksgiving day at 2 p.m.