Some of us start looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner long before the turkey goes into the oven.

At Sweet Tillies in downtown New Kensington, a Thanksgiving-inspired pastry has already filled the bakery’s announced November pickup slots.

The Pilgrim, the bakery’s seasonal turkey pastry, is back for its third year, bringing family Thanksgiving recipes together in one takeout meal.

A little Thanksgiving, wrapped in pastry

For $16, The Pilgrim combines turkey, homemade gravy, mashed potatoes, sausage-and-sage stuffing, and cranberry relish inside buttery puff pastry.

A serving of homemade sweet potato casserole comes alongside it.

The relish adds cranberries, orange, and pineapple to the mix.

It’s a savory detour for a bakery best known for baklava, built around the familiar flavors of a holiday dinner.

Family recipes are at the heart of it

Owner Amy Johnson drew inspiration from Mad Mex’s Gobblerito, then turned to her own family’s holiday table to make the idea her own.

The Pilgrim includes her mother’s cranberry relish and her grandmother’s sausage-and-sage stuffing, with her godmother’s sweet potato casserole rounding out the meal.

That connection to family runs through the rest of Sweet Tillies, too.

Johnson began baking baklava with her mother at seven and grew up helping both her mother and her Sittoo in the kitchen.

She later left a corporate human resources position at UPMC to pursue baking in her hometown.

For readers who have a treasured recipe written in a parent’s or grandparent’s handwriting, the appeal of keeping those flavors alive is easy to understand.

The announced dates for The Pilgrim are already sold out, but Johnson hasn't ruled out adding extra dates.

Follow Sweet Tillies on Facebook to watch for announcements of additional Pilgrim pickup dates.

Baklava, Baked Kensingtons, and holiday gifts

Alongside its specialty baklava, Sweet Tillies makes Baked Kensingtons: puff pastries with a variety of fillings that often change monthly to highlight seasonal flavors.

The Pilgrim is a Thanksgiving version of that signature pastry, giving customers another way to enjoy the bakery beyond its sweet baklava selection.

With the holidays bringing the bakery’s busiest ordering season, it’s worth planning ahead for gifts and gatherings.

Sweet Tillies offers online ordering and ships its baklava nationwide, making it an option for sending a little New Kensington flavor to family and friends farther from home.

Gift boxes can make a thoughtful host gift, a thank-you for a client, or a sweet addition to a family celebration.

Local customers can select pickup when ordering baklava online, and the bakery will coordinate a pickup day and time.

Visit Sweet Tillies’ shipping information page for details, and follow its Facebook page for current Baked Kensington flavors and seasonal offerings.

Make a stop on Fifth Avenue

Sweet Tillies is located at 1001B Fifth Avenue, New Kensington.

Its posted shop hours are Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

If you’re also looking for something sweet, the bakery’s baklava selection ranges from traditional to chocolate hazelnut, apricot ginger, and Biscoff cookie butter.

The Pilgrim may have put Sweet Tillies on your radar, but its baklava offers another reason to explore this hometown bakery and the family traditions behind it.