Abdo Alawdi is planning on sharing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with his family, which includes a wife, six children, numerous relatives - oh, and 250 of his closest friends and neighbors.

Alawdi has been preparing massive Thanksgiving celebrations for his Dimond neighborhood for the past nine years where he is the owner of the 2 Star Market - at 2020 MacArthur Boulevard - a shop well-known for its wine and microbrew beer selection.

The first year he offered the public feast, advertising it on Craigslist, only 15 people showed up. But of the undertaking, he says that “first year was complicated, the second year got easier, then easier.”

He is now used to his Thanksgiving routine - setting up a giant tent, 30-45 tables and a 150 chairs. I asked him if he ever worried that it would get too big. His response: “[I’m] not worried, [I] would love more.”

Alawdi started this tradition because he remembers how his grandfather raised him in Yemen. During Ramadan he said, “Our house [was] always open.” He described that kind of sharing, seemingly so unusual in this country, as a “benefit from God [and] a cultural thing.” He also cooks for the Dimond District Picnic in the park just up the street from his store.

On the morning of Thursday's big feast, about 40 or more people will show up beginning at 6 a.m. to assist him and his family. However, they usually begin cooking the night before, utilizing the ovens at nearby Romano’s Pizza.

Alawdi purchases at least 25 turkeys, as well as chicken, lamb and side dishes ranging from rice, corn, yams and traditional Yemeni fare. Diners often donate home-cooked food like desserts and salads. When asked how much this repast costs him, he estimated $5,000 to $6,000, but stressed that it comes “from his heart.”

Alawdi has lived in his neighborhood home for 15 years where his kids attend public schools, including Skyline High School and Laney College.

“[The] city is good, reputation is bad,” of Oakland, the city that he as adopted.

When he arrived in the U.S., he took courses in English as a Second Language in local adult schools - most of which have since been eliminated.

If you drive up Fruitvale into the Dimond District, you will see a giant banner advertising the holiday celebration. A website designed by Alawdi just for the occasion is listed - 2starmarket.com and includes his personal email-Alawdi[at]aol.com.

When I asked Alawdi if there was anything he could use to make it easier to stage this event, he mentioned that his biggest expense comes from renting the equipment: a 75x40 foot tent, up to 45 tables, chairs, etc.

He also uses multiple barbecue kettles. If anyone reading this can provide some of these things, he could probably afford to buy more turkeys and host more folks. In the meantime, take a minute to stop by this Oakland hero’s business and say hello.

You might find that the 2 Star Market has added a deli section to the store offering fresh Middle Eastern fare. And, if you need to purchase some spirits for your own home-cooked meal, consider picking them up from the man who really knows how to lift the spirits of his Oakland neighborhood.

See Oakland Local's related coverage at http://oaklandlocal.com/thanksgiving