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CHEFS from around the globe have united to support Frank Gocht, the former executive chef at Bahrain’s Gulf Hotel, who has been stricken down by Motor Neurone Disease (MND) robbing him of movement and speech.
The 49-year-old father-of-two is currently being looked after at a care home in the New Zealand capital, Wellington.
He writes a popular blog – www.simplygocht.com – about his condition and his memories of life in the kitchen which is ghost edited by close friend and Bahrain-based businesswoman, Sarah Clarke, who recently made a surprise visit to his bedside.
She said: “On the way back home to Bahrain, I tried to picture myself in his position, trapped for hours, days, weeks, months, on a bed in a room with a computer as my window on the world, days punctuated by short visits from family and friends or the occasional trip out in my wheelchair. I’m sure I would go mad.
“Imagine my delight when out of the blue a few days ago I received an email from a group of Frank’s chef friends in Hong Kong telling me about an initiative they had set in motion in his honour – ‘Chefs unite for Frank’.
It was the brainchild of Hong Kong residents Richard Ekkebus, culinary director, Amber Restaurant, Mandarin Oriental; Marco Veringa, executive chef/ F&B manager, United Services Recreation Club; Rudolph Muller, executive chef, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Jason Black & Alex Tang from Empire Media.
The idea is simple – invite the worldwide community of chefs to support Frank by sending a short, smartphone video clip of a greeting to him. The aim? To show that chefs care, give back and look after their own, and, of course, to give Frank a boost, a chuckle, a smile and a break from his MND.
Sarah said: “Both Frank and I cried when we saw the video clips that have been uploaded to the Facebook page www.facebook.com/chefsuniteforfrank
“Some of the contributors know Frank but most are complete strangers doing something for one of their own many thousands of miles away.
“In the space of three days, the ‘likes’ are fast approaching 500 and they just keep on coming. I am blown away by people’s generosity of spirit and their kindness.”
And, spurred on by their example, she has been in touch with Rajesh Nair, executive chef at the Meat Co. in Bahrain.
Chef Rajesh, who worked with Frank at the Gulf Hotel and has already contributed to Frank’s blog, says he remembers Frank as ‘a strong, creative guy, full of energy with a love of life like no other’ and is saddened to see how such a man could be destroyed by this disease.
This week they produced a video clip for Chefs unite for Frank. “It’s the least we can do for a great friend and fellow foodie. Frank saw that I had potential and became my mentor at the Gulf Hotel. It’s because of his support that I won the Gulf Hotel’s Employee of the Year Award in 2005. I am very grateful to have known him and worked with him,” said chef Rajesh.
Sarah says her recent trip helped boost her friend’s spirits. “I have to admit that I was a little relieved,” she explained, “as the last couple of weeks I’d been travelling in Australia and keeping up the pretence about my surprise visit was becoming harder – and my data roaming bill had reached astronomical heights as I was still acting as the Ghost Editor of his blog www.simplygocht.com!
“I was sure that Frank would have guessed something was up. Thankfully, the look on his face as I entered the room with his wife, Neisha, told me that the subterfuge had paid off and he was surprised, delighted and amused that I had made it halfway across the world without him suspecting a thing.”
During her stay in New Zealand they ‘chatted’ for a couple of hours a day. She said: “He typed using tiny movements of his hip to nudge a mouse that moved a pointer across an on-screen keypad and I read the jumble of letters and words on the computer trying to guess what was coming so that he didn’t have to type too much because the whole process was exhausting for him.
“His frustration was clear. The disease had progressed at an alarming rate and he could only manage a short visit before needing to rest his eyes and body. We laughed. We cried. We made plans for his blog. And, when I left Wellington, we didn’t do a long goodbye, just a ‘cheerio, see you later Frank!’ and I was gone.”
l Are you a chef or member of the food and beverage industry? Perhaps you’re a food writer or a manager of a restaurant? Would you like to send a greeting to Frank and be part of a worldwide initiative that’s growing by the day? If so get your kitchen team or colleagues together, film a 15-second clip and upload it to www.facebook.com/chefsuniteforfrank
You can also put a photo of your efforts on Instagram with the hash tag #chefsuniteforfrank. Be part of a global virtual ‘hug’ and in the process help to raise the profile of MND so that some day, someone will find a cure for this devastating disease.
For more information, email gochtgourmet@gmail.com
