Every
Christmas since John Alfi opened his coffee shop in 1993, John has given Balboa a very
special gift. Free Christmas dinner for everyone. As always the offer is open to anyone
who has nowhere to go or just doesn't want to cook. And it's a full Christmas dinner.
John says, "I cook about seven turkeys a year, and about 80 pounds of mashed
potatoes and stuffing and vegetables. We go through 8 to 10 pumpkin pies."
John Alfi carving one
of his turkeys
|
The tables at Alfi's are always full on Christmas day
When asked why John puts on this feast every
year, he replies, "It's just to give back to my customers who support me all year. I
spent two years in the service being alone for the Holidays, so I know how it is."
And as with every year, 1999 was no exception. John's son Steven says, "We got a lot
of people who looked like they were homeless." |
John says, "We
always have a crowd in here." This year the crowd exceeded 120 people, Steven adds,
"Last year was good, but this year we rocked." 
John's father Jamil, helps carving the turkeys
Steven recalls, "We had to close at
five, but people kept comming |
