Gilda’s Clubs Would Have Made Gilda Proud
By Pola Rosen, Ed.D.

When Gene Wilder’s wife, comedienne Gilda Radnor died prematurely of ovarian cancer, the decision was made to found a club where cancer patients and their families could find repose, a haven to seek solace and a shared compassion with others who were going through similar trying times. There are now 14 clubs nationwide that are free and open to the public.

According to founder and president Joanna Bull, one of every two men and one of every three women will have cancer in their lifetime.

In raising money for the important work of the clubs, The Gilda Lunches began recently, a series that incorporates the concept of intimate conversations with interesting women.

Only 40 women are invited to a gourmet lunch at Eleven Madison Avenue, one of Danny Meyer’s (Tabla, Gramercy Tavern and the Union Square Café owner) wonderful restaurants featuring special menus and contributed by Meyer as his commitment to fighting cancer. The committee includes Matilda Cuomo and Dr. Margaret Cuomo Maier, and Angelica Berrie, of the Russ Berrie Company, the international toy manufacturer.

At a recent gathering, Ruth Reichl regaled the group with food tales including research
done on Phi Beta Kappa members which
indicated that the most salient common thread was the dinner that families had together. Citing her 12-year-old son as an example, the
time spent with him at dinner is more important
to him than hours spent at any other time of
the day.

Reichl brought the “good news” in these troubled times that people are cooking again and going out less than they used to. “Cook books are flying off the book shelves.”

Eating at home is a good thing and far too little that people have done before, although she acknowledged that restaurants offer us a kind of theater, a glimpse of the good life and a bit of magic for a few hours.

When asked what advice she would give a young person wanting to prepare for a career as a chef, she responded, “I ran a restaurant with no previous experience [in California] and did journalism without going to a J school.” She believes experience is the best teacher.

Future events coming up are on Friday, November 16 with Wendy Wasserstein and Thursday, November. 19 with Linda Fairstein. For reservations and more information: Gilda’s Club Worldwide, 322 8^th Ave., Ste. 1402, 646-486-4900, 917-305-1200.

Education Update, Inc., P.O. Box 20005, New York, NY 10001. Tel: (212) 481-5519. Fax: (212) 481-3919. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of the publisher. © 2001.