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An annual Thanksgiving feast gives French interns a delicious taste of American culture.
Every November, the smell of roasting turkey fills Anne Jennen’s Edina home as 28 French interns roll up their sleeves for a uniquely American rite of passage: preparing and eating Thanksgiving dinner. The annual gathering, hosted by Jennen and supported by the Normandale Elementary and Extended French parent-teacher organizations, has become a cherished tradition that blends cultural exchange with heaping servings of mashed potatoes, stuffing and camaraderie.
The French immersion program brings college-aged teaching interns to Minnesota to assist in Edina Public Schools’ French immersion program. Twenty-one interns train at Normandale Elementary, three at Valley View Middle School and another three at Edina High School. They all stay in the community with host families.
Jennen first hosted the interns’ Thanksgiving more than a decade ago and is the third host. The tradition began in the 2000s at Brenda Vogel’s home before being moved to Kris Wetmore’s. Jennen volunteered to help, and she knew she wanted this to be a part of her world because of the joy it sparked and the curiosity it inspired. “Most interns were unfamiliar with our traditional foods. I had a wonderful time cooking with them. I even learned some new dishes,” Jennen says.
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- Photo: Charlotte Taubel
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- Photo: Anne Jennen
Jennen has a Thanksgiving menu that is followed each year. Getting those ingredients is a monumental task. She has a comprehensive and detailed food donation list that is sent out to parents and members of the Edina French Immersion community. They sign up to donate different items, which could be anything from potatoes to a thawed turkey. Jennen also has a precise cooking timetable. But she and the interns don’t prepare the entire meal by themselves. “Many of them have never prepared a turkey before … I also learned that the French do not eat a lot of turkey,” she says.
And to prepare that turkey, members of the community sign up to volunteer for a wide variety of shifts. “Having volunteers to help with the preparation of the food is essential. The interns need guidance with measurements and learning how to prepare the different dishes. There is a lot of work to begin preparing the food at noon,” Jennen says. All 28 interns usually attend the event. Great care is taken to accommodate food allergies and preferences. “Personally, I have learned some great Thanksgiving squash, bean and tofu dishes,” she says.
Tables in her home are loaded with ingredients for the different dishes. Interns work in teams to cook the meal. Alexandre Belvire was an intern in a second grade classroom at Normandale Elementary during the 2023–24 school year. “Experiencing a truly American holiday, such as Thanksgiving, was really amazing for me. The fact that we got to live and participate in this celebration that we had been seeing on TV shows and movies for our entire lives was wonderful,” he says. For Judith Fouquet, who was an intern at Edina High School, that TV show was Friends. “I always wanted to experience [Thanksgiving] in the U.S. I’m a huge fan of Friends, and I wanted to see how it is to celebrate with friends and family at this time of year.”
Food, friendship and gratitude come together every November when 28 French interns prepare a full Thanksgiving meal at Anne Jennen’s Edina home. Community volunteers help the interns in cooking the entire meal. It’s a way to share culture, stories and build camaraderie. The tradition started in the 2000s. Photo: Judith Fouquet
While Fouquet helped chop vegetables, Belvire’s duties that day were preparing the turkey. “I remember having to clean it, stuff it and butter it. It was a truly funny and bonding experience to prepare it. The funniest moment I have from that day is how weird and cold it felt the first time I had to put my whole arm in the turkey,” he says of removing the giblets. But the best part was the parent volunteer who walked them through the process. “It was great that she could share with us the different techniques she uses and also the memories she holds over preparing turkeys for Thanksgiving over the years.”
Charlotte Taubel, intern coordinator and a former intern in 2009, says it’s those relationships with the community that make the day special. “This is my favorite part, this sharing of culture and getting to know more members from our community the whole day,” Taubel says.
But what Belvire loved the most was being together. “What really stuck with me is how bonding and fun that day was,” Belvire says. “The interns’ Thanksgiving was at the beginning of November. We didn’t all have the chance to bond, talk and connect that much before.”
It’s a sentiment shared by Taubel. “It is an event that fosters the practice of showing gratitude and appreciation and helps our group renew their cohesion at a pivotal moment in their internship. November is usually when things start becoming hard to adjust to the American ‘hustle culture,’ and this provides a great opportunity to regroup and feel joy together,” Taubel says.
Belvire’s joy came when he was asked to carve the turkey. “I remember feeling so happy when all the other interns chose me to be the person who [carves] the turkey. It felt like a full circle moment,” he says.
Alexandre Belvire carving the Thanksgiving Turkey. Photo: Alexandre Belvire
That full circle moment is thanks to the community, who help put it all together, Taubel says. “Thanksgiving is definitely something that interns have never experienced back home, and we are grateful for the generous donations from our community and the time and energy from our volunteers to provide such an enriching cultural experience for our group of interns,” she says.
That experience continues, Taubel says. “What moves me is to know that our group of interns from [last] year is planning a reunion in France over Thanksgiving [this] year. It truly emphasizes that this event is all about togetherness and a piece of their American life that they will carry with them back home,” she says. “Actually, back when I returned to France after my internship, my group of intern friends and I met up over Thanksgiving and cooked our bag of wild rice that we had brought back from Minnesota. It may have only been a wild rice soup, some failed popovers and an apple pie, but to us it felt like Thanksgiving!”
Meaningful Connections
Anne Jennen. Photo: Chris Emeott
The cultural exchange does not end with Thanksgiving. Normandale’s intern committee hosts Crêpe Day in February where the school community learns to cook and taste sweet and savory crêpes. “Many interns share French cultural traditions with their host and partner families,” Anne Jennen says. “My children are particularly fond of raclette, macarons and crème brûlée. They also like French card games. One of my favorite things about the French immersion program is making new friends in France. My children and I keep in touch with several of the interns on an ongoing basis. Facebook and Instagram make it easy to stay in touch with many of the former interns. Several interns have come back to visit us in Edina.”
But Thanksgiving holds a special place in her heart. “This is one of my favorite cultural events,” she says. “I hope it continues for many years.”
