Rosemary and Drew Gabbe, Verona residents who are the chef-owners of The Fruited Plain Caterers in Parsippany, will be holding a virtual cooking demonstration on on Saturday, July 11, to support patients with a rare cancer.
The Life Raft Group (LRG), a patient advocacy organization specializing in supporting patients with Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST), organized the cooking demonstration to launch its just-released cookbook, GIST Cook. All proceeds from cookbook sales will go towards GIST cancer research efforts. The cookbook is available online.
In the online demonstration, which will go live at 4 p.m. on Saturday, the Gabbes will prepare a recipe from the LRG Cookbook as part of the Life Raft Group’s Virtual Life Fest Celebration.
Due to the global pandemic, the Life Raft Group’s biennial meeting scheduled to be held in New Orleans was postponed until next year. Instead, the LRG is offering a series of virtual events designed to educate and inform patients and caregivers and the general public about GIST cancer, and to provide fun events, such as this cooking demonstration.
The Gabbes are well known for their innovative cuisine and dedication to making catered events memorable. Most importantly, they have a reverence for food, and are respected for their charitable acts, whether organizing a suicide prevention walk, or providing food for healthcare workers during the current pandemic. They have generously agreed to share their gifts and talents for this cooking demonstration.
The Fruited Plain understands the needs of New Jersey’s many non-profits. They have created “thank-you” luncheons and honoree galas that match missions–and budgets. They currently also have a special menu they developed during this pandemic. They are now offering a brown-bag lunch or heat & serve family meals for daily curbside pickup.
Rosemary Gabbe grew up in Verona and her superior understanding of flavor combination and her innate creativity are the forces that drive the Fruited Plain. Her talents have been recognized and refined over the course of a remarkable career that includes stints at two four-star French restaurants in New York City, Lespinasse and Le Bernardin. She and Drew met while working at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York.
Drew Gabbe’s career in kitchens include the Hotel Fleur de Lac in Switzerland, and New York’s La Grenouille, as well as stints at the Hilton in Short Hills, as chef de cuisine, and at Wiley Publishing as executive chef.
