Once one of Bahrain’s most colourful and celebrated executive chefs, Frank Gocht, is now bedridden and helping to raise awareness of Motor Neurone Disease (MND), a debilitating condition which has devastated his life.
Despite being unable to use a keyboard, thanks to technological advances he is still able to share stories of his life on his inspirational blog with the help of his close friend, Bahrain-based businesswoman, Sarah Clarke, below.
Sarah, vice chairman and director of DSC Solutions, based at Bahrain Financial Harbour, tells the tale of Simply Gocht – loving and laughing about the chef’s world.
Imagine for a moment that you’ve spent 30 years reaching the pinnacle of your career as an executive chef.
You’ve become an expert at your profession and are sought after and internationally admired for the exquisite creations that come out of your kitchen which are worthy of the best Michelin-starred restaurants.
You live and breathe the life of a chef, it’s all you dream about from the time you get up to the time you go to sleep, and there’s no place you’d rather be than surrounded by the pots and pans of your trade.
And then, out of the blue, having previously had knife skills that are the envy of your colleagues and mastered the intricate techniques needed to create the stunning dishes you’re known for, you uncharacteristically cut yourself and fumble with a simple garnish.
Thinking it’s just one of those things, you put it to the back of your mind.
A few days later it happens again and you decide you must be a little tired. But then you notice that your speech is sometimes slurred and it’s hard to form words and give instructions to your team.
Horrifyingly for a lover of food like you, it begins to be an effort to swallow. At night in bed you struggle to breathe.
Your family and friends notice your changing behaviour and urge you to go to the doctor, who recommends a barrage of tests.
Months later after multiple scans and assessments and with symptoms rapidly developing you finally get the diagnosis you’ve been dreading. It’s Motor Neurone Disease (MND, see side panel). There is no cure. There is no hope.
This is what has happened to Chef Frank Gocht, 49, former resident of Bahrain from 2004 to 2010. Once the Executive Chef at the Gulf Hotel and Gulf International Conference Centre, where he oversaw the operation of 14 food and beverage outlets and gained a reputation for high quality dining experiences and innovative menu concepts, today Frank lives in New Zealand and is almost completely unable to move.
He can no longer speak and has great difficulty swallowing even the softest food.
In fact, Frank relies entirely on the dedication and support of family and friends and a team of carers for everything – yes, that too.
Though some with MND live for many years, in Frank’s case the disease progressed rapidly from the initial onset of his symptoms in November, 2011, to his diagnosis on July 11, 2012, causing him to hang up his chef’s jacket later that month, a day which he recalls as ‘the worst day of my life’.
Bravely, in a bid to spread the word about MND, Frank began to document the reality of his new ‘circumstances’ – an understatement if ever there was one – in a ‘no-holds barred’ page on Facebook – Motor Neurone Disease & Me.
“I want people to understand the devastating impact of the disease, not only on me but on my family and friends too,” he explained. “The more people that hear about it, the more it will attract much-needed research which will in turn bring about a cure.”
I first met Frank early in 2007 in Bahrain and got to know his family well – that’s wife Neisha and daughters Yasmine, 14, and Giuliana, 10.
We shared many things in common not least a love of food, animals and walking.
The one thing that always shone through was Frank’s sense of humour. In fact, anyone who’s met Frank or worked with him will know how crazy – in the nicest sense of the word – he is, and has been throughout his international career as a chef.
And, if ever there’s someone who loves life and lives life to the full, it’s Frank. Whether in Germany, China, Bali, Dubai, New Zealand or Bahrain, in a gourmet establishment, family-run restaurant, hotel kitchen, banqueting hall or royal palace, Frank was always to be found acting the fool, playing practical jokes and thinking up the next hare-brained scheme!
His joie de vie is infectious and whoever crosses his path or has worked with him has a tale to tell about his antics.
Though the MND is gradually stripping Frank’s muscles of all function, happily his whacky sense of humour is still intact, though there are times when even he sinks into despair.
Over breakfast one day last year in New Zealand, he and I decided to start to record some of the stories that have brought colour and vibrancy to his life.
We worked under the working title ‘a funny thing happened on the way to the kitchen’ and invited his friends and colleagues from around the world to contribute. We’ve all seen the antics of celebrity chefs on TV and there’s scarcely a channel that doesn’t feature some kind of ‘master chef’ programme, but do we really know what goes on behind the scenes, save for the odd swear word or two, perhaps? Well, we thought we’d spill the beans!
Due to the debilitating nature of his disease and its rapid progression, the book idea morphed into a recently-launched blog Simply Gocht – loving and laughing about the chef’s world (www.simplygocht.com) which I edit on Frank’s behalf from my desk in Bahrain.
It was designed with the help of Salah from Rushdy Design, also in Bahrain.
The blog is a collection of amusing stories and recipes, pictures and videos in English and Frank’s native German that tell surprising tales from the other side of the kitchen door.
Frank, from his nursing home in New Zealand, said: “You’d hardly believe what’s happened to me as a chef! For example, I’ve found live goats in the receiving bay, lured unsuspecting chefs into vats of gunk on their leaving day and created some crazy edible Halloween stunts!
“I’d love readers to comment on the stories I’ve posted and to add their own anecdotes. The disease is not at all funny to those suffering from it or to their families, but through laughter people may learn about MND.”
And, Frank is not alone in his bid to spread the word. Propelled by wife Neisha, Frank took part in his wheelchair in the Armstrong Marathon in Wellington in June 2013 to support the work of the MND Association, New Zealand (www.mnda.org.nz) which has given them invaluable advice and assistance.
Neisha also shaved her head (and to those who know her this is a BIG thing!) to raise funds for MND research. She said: “As a family, we’ve been devastated by this disease but through the blog, Frank’s Facebook page and our fundraising activities, hopefully we can raise awareness. My wish is that a cure will be found so that no one has to go through what we are going through.”
Readers of Frank’s blog will see that his recipe for life has an ingredients list of a cup of laughter, a pinch of hell-raising, a large dollop of craziness and a spoonful of creativity all mixed together in a bottom-less bucket of friendship.
He hopes you enjoy reading it.
If you know Frank he’d love to hear from you. Short or long, in English or German, with or without pictures, please send your kitchen stories to Frank at gochtgourmet@gmail.com for use on the blog.
And, if you don’t know Frank, please visit the blog, have a chuckle and post the link www.simplygocht.com on your Facebook page and/or Twitter to spread the word.
***
What is Motor Neurone Disease?
Motor neurone disease (MND) is the name given to a group of diseases in which the nerve cells – neurones – controlling the muscles that enable us to move, speak, breathe and swallow undergo degeneration and die. With no nerves to activate them, muscles gradually weaken and waste away, causing increasing loss of mobility in the limbs, and difficulties with speech, swallowing and breathing.
While some people live for many years with MND, for most the life expectancy is two to five years from the onset of symptoms.
There are four types of MND – Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Progressive Muscular Atrophy (PMA), Progressive Bulbar Palsy (PBP), and Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS).
Frank suffers from PBP which affects the muscles involved in speech and swallowing first and then those of the limbs. The rapid progression of the disease requires constant adaption to deal with his increasing and changing levels of disability.
MND can affect anyone. However, it is more often found in the 40- to 70-year age group. There are nearly 120,000 cases diagnosed worldwide each year. Only 10per cent of cases are inherited, with the remaining 90 per cent sporadic.
There are no figures specifically for the Middle East region. However, the global incidence of ALS/MND is assumed to be similar across most racial, ethnic and geographic boundaries. In many parts of the world, MND is under-reported or under-diagnosed due to lack of resources.
MND progresses differently in each person. The disease can have a devastating impact on family, carers, and friends.
There is NO CURE for MND. There is NO HOPE.
To learn more about MND or to donate for research to help find a cure, refer to https://www.mnda.org.nz
***
This is Frank’s latest blog entry.
It’s a slow, physically and mentally exhausting process which he finds incredibly frustrating. Sometimes he wants to ‘throw his toys out of his cot’ and scream but because he can’t speak no one can hear the voice in his head. It took Frank more than five hours to enter this story. Sarah edits the raw text, inputs pictures and then posts the stories on www.simplygocht.com
Who will ever forget? It’s Monday, August 23, 2004, and my first full working day as executive chef at the Gulf Hotel & Gulf Conference Centre.
The day began like all first working days with routine activities in the various food and beverage outlets of the hotel but all directed towards a major function that was to be held in the hotel’s Conference Centre that morning and would be attended by many dignitaries and VVVIPs.
Everything was set and ready to go and everyone, from the general manager down, was lined up waiting to receive the VVVIP guests. The big heavy glass doors to the centre opened and in HE walked, pausing here and there as HE came down the corridor.
And the second HE entered, followed by his entire entourage, there was a loud click and then nothing, nothing at all. No lights. No air conditioning, nothing. Simply pitch black darkness.
Just before things started to get really awkward, the hotel’s back-up generator took over to power emergency lighting. Across the room I could see the F&B manager covering his eyes with his hands in disbelief. I said to my assistant: ‘you stay here, there’s nothing we can do. The worse-case scenario is they all leave and we have to throw out the food’.
As executive chef I looked after all the outlets across in the hotel so I left to see what was happening elsewhere. I walked across the courtyard in the scorching heat and bright sunlight to the hotel’s back entrance where the kitchens were. But it was pitch black inside and I nearly went head over heels in the dark. Fortunately, someone grabbed me and pushed me in the right direction.
Considering the overall scale of the disaster (it was 50C outside and there had been a nationwide power cut), people (customers and staff), were reasonably cool and calm. As no exhausts were working in the kitchens, I took the decision to close the main outlets but kept the coffee shop buffet open until things got back to normal.
Someone found candles from somewhere but, as we needed them by the gas stove where it was also the hottest, they melted more quickly than we could light them.
We increased the coffee shop’s size by using some of the banquet tables to cater for people who came in off the streets because by now, with no traffic lights, the roads had all snarled up.
Happily, several hours later, the power came back on and things slowly got back to normal … but what a truly memorable, first working day!
