Chefs' Thanksgiving Disasters

Everyone has a Thanksgiving horror story — first-time turkey recipes can go awry, leaving you without the main attraction, and being forced to try goopy side dishes made by various relatives can feel like you're partaking in an episode of Fear Factor. But take comfort, dear readers, because chefs apparently have similar tales of woe.

Bill Telepan of Telepan restaurant in New York City was the victim of some bad Thanksgiving Day cooking. "My aunt Mary made the sweet potatoes with the marshmallows... I puked all over the place." He couldn't eat sweet potato for years to come.

Everyone's favorite Top Chef Just Desserts judge Johnny Iuzzini cops to having "toasted and roasted" his turkey on occasion. His lack of attention (and a bit too much drinking...) led to a Chinese-food -fueled Thanksgiving.

But apparently, booze is the solution to many dilemmas. Gramercy Tavern's Michael Anthony often didn't have enough space for storage in his small apartment, but he solved the issue by buying beer for the delivery guys at a pizza place. Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy advocates bourbon and whiskey as the solution to pretty much everything.

But The New York Times' Melissa Clark sums up almost everyone's feelings pretty perfectly: "Oh God, every year is a Thanksgiving disaster practically, but we make it work." For more, watch the video above!