An Interview With The Owner of Jive Turkey

With the holidays right around the corner, talk turns to turkeys.

And what better time to sit down and chat with the entrepreneur Aricka Westbrooks from Jive Turkey, an expert on ‘all things turkey’ whose deliciously flavored deep-fried turkeys are a favorite of the New York Times and Food Network.

If you are interested in creating an easy, delicious and unique holiday dinner, you are definitely going to want to meet Aricka Westbrooks…

Question: Can You Tell Me A Little Bit About Jive Turkey! ?

Aricka: Jive Turkey started in 2003. We operated in Clinton Hill Fort Greene section of Brooklyn for about 9 years and then we closed our restaurant to begin producing wine. The good news though is that we still have a mail order business that ship turkeys directly to our customers and on behalf of wholesale partners like Williams-Sonoma and FoodyDirect.

Click to Tweet: At last, a special, unique and fuss-free turkey for all of us who don’t have time to slave in the kitchen

Question: What was the inspiration behind your business?

Aricka: Within New York there were so many different types of culinary delights: Bangladesh, Chinese, Jamaican, Caribbean Middle Eastern foods. All these foods are wonderful and very common to New Yorkers. But—very ironically-there was absolutely no place to get a deep fried turkey which is a classic American dish. I thought wouldn’t it be great to have a place for customers to get that kind of real American food here in New York and so that's how the business started.

Click to Tweet: Deep fried turkeys are seriously delicious. Get yours here.

Question: Is it only deep fried turkey or is it all types of turkey?

Aricka: We specialize in deep fried turkey. The menu has 15 different flavors of deep fried turkey on the menu: seasoned butters, braised butters, herb glazes, wet marinades and dry rubs.

Question: What's your most popular flavor?

Aricka: The best- selling turkey is our peach bourbon! I think it’s because people often buy their turkeys for special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas and they really want something different.

Click to Tweet: Dump all the prep and simply order the best turkey you have ever tasted.

Question: Do you have any special offerings during the holiday season?

Aricka: We do have a feast package. This is the full meal which you could purchase through our website. People who really don't want to cook anything often buy those. It’s so simple—a true ‘heat and eat’ product; you just put the turkey in the oven for about 45 minutes to heat it up. You don’t have to hassle with hours of basting and prepping and seasoning and roasting that comes when you cook a turkey that's raw.

Question: Is it hard to deep fry turkeys?

Aricka: It does take a level of investment and equipment. Then it can be very hazardous, if you deep fry on your own – just think—it’s a vast of boiling hot oil. If it were to catch on fire, it’s virtually impossible to put out. It's just really hazardous; if you don't burn yourself, you can burn your neighbor’s house down, burn your back yard up or injure your pet. So it is very difficult to do safely.

Click to Tweet: Get the turkey of your dreams—delivered to you.

Question: What is your favorite part about the holidays? Do you have any special traditions?

Aricka: Well what I really like is that we sell a very special dish that helps people celebrate a very special holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. What is amazing is we have now become part of many family’s traditions as they come back to us to order their fried turkey almost every year.

What about you?

Want to have the most amazing turkey this year at your holiday table with ZERO fuss. 

And while you’re out it you might want to check out our festive list of unique holiday gifts. This year, let’s all ban the ‘same old, same old’ presents once and for all!