Taste Of TV In Farmingdale: Chefs To Cook Against Cancer For Olivia Hope Foundation

FARMINGDALE, NY — People with an appetite for delicious food and giving back should mark their calendars for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 25.

A Taste of TV—Fork Cancer event is set for 317 Main Street in Farmingdale. Chef Eric LeVine, who cooks at 317, will be joined by fellow television culinary artists Robbie Jester, Ed Porter and Venoy Rogers. The four will prepare a six-course meal with proceeds benefiting the Olivia Hope Foundation, which has the goal of ending childhood cancer.

Tickets are $150 and can be purchased here.

LeVine is a champion of The Food Network's "Chopped." He was also featured on "Morimoto's Sushi Master," "Beat Bobby Flay," "Food Paradise," and "Alex Vs America" among other shows. Rogers was on "Morimoto's Sushi Master" with LeVine, while Jester and Porter starred on "Pressure Cooker."

Each chef is donating his time and food. The evening will likely feature a band playing during the cocktail hour, as well as tons of raffles. Gift cards for Long Island restaurants will be included in the raffle options.

The menu features:

Passed Hors D’oeuvres

• Jester: Roast Chicken Crostini, Lemon Garlic Aioli, Romaine Pesto, Focaccia, Parmesan
• Porter: Watermelon Gazpacho, Pickled Cucumber, Goat Cheese Crisp
• Rogers: Micro Slider with Beef Bacon
• LeVine: Crab and Jalapeño Mini Taco

Dinner

• Jester: Bolo Ravioli with Pecorino Crema and Garlic Bread
• Porter: Pan-Seared Airline Chicken, Popcorn Polenta, and Pomegranate Gastrique
• LeVine: BBQ Pulled Pork on Corn Waffle, Compressed Watermelon & Cucumber Salad, BBQ Aioli, Pork Belly
• Rogers: Certified Angus Beef Skirt Steak, Truffle-Parsnip Puree, Beef Tendon Chicharron

Dessert

• LeVine: Olivia's Strawberry Shortcake

LeVine said he finds meaning in raising money for the Olivia Hope Foundation, created in honor of Olivia Hope LoRusso, who died of acute myeloid leukemia in 2017 at the age of 12.

"It's always a great thing when you're able to take what you love and help others with it, that's the greatest feeling in the universe," LeVine told Patch.

After Olivia's death, her family launched the Olivia Hope Foundation with the mission of ending childhood cancer. The foundation is led by her mother, Shelley, and sister, Gia. LeVine wanted to help the family raise money and pitched the idea of dinner fundraisers. LeVine held a previous event for the Olivia Hope Foundation in May.

LeVine met Olivia through Family Reach. The chef, a six-time cancer survivor himself, bonded with Olivia. He invited her to visit one of his old New Jersey restaurants, but sadly, Olivia died before she had the chance. LeVine dedicated his most recent cookbook, "Burgers, Bowls and Jars," to her.

Shelley LoRusso said LeVine and her daughter, Olivia, took to one another at a cooking event featuring other chefs.

"She had a great time with him that night," Shelley said. "He was showing her different things he had cooked. They just connected. We kept in contact with him even after that event. They had a sweet friendship."

While going through cancer treatments, Olivia had decided she wanted to become a pediatric oncologist because she wanted to help find a cure for pediatric cancers.

LeVine said it feels "great" to have the support of three of his peers as they help a Syosset-based charity.

"People who genuinely have the heart to do the right things," LeVine said of the Olivia Hope Foundation. "Sometimes, you get to these big corporate organizations that forget about the little guy or girl and they don't take care of them the way they should. The money they make goes to their lavish offices or whatever. That's not the case with this. Their funds go to work on research for childhood cancer and finding a cure."

LoRusso said she is "very inspired" by LeVine being a multi-time cancer survivor, adding that it is a "privilege" to work alongside him to put the event together. She said it's amazing that three other chefs are joining him.

"It's a very gracious thing for them to do, because people's time is probably the most important thing, more than money," LoRusso said. "I'm just completely in awe he would get all of these chefs together, so I'm really looking forward to the night."

The funds that the chefs raise for the Olivia Hope Foundation will be used in two ways, LoRusso said: supporting Seattle Children's Hospital, which she said is doing the best work related to acute myeloid leukemia; and helping families all over the world that have children under 21 years old facing cancer.

"We help them with co-pays," LoRusso said. "Sometimes we've paid rent, we've paid mortgages. When you have a child going through treatment, usually one parent has to become the full-time caregiver. A lot of people really, really suffer monetarily. The bills, trust me, pile up super quickly."

LoRusso said childhood cancer is more common than people realize. Each year in the United States, 15,780 children aged 0-19 are diagnosed with cancer, according to the American Childhood Cancer Organization. One in 285 American children will be diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday, and 20 percent of American children diagnosed will not survive. Globally, more than 300,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year, the organization wrote.

"There are some treatable [cancers], but it is still horrific to watch a child have to suffer the way these kids do," LoRusso said. "I think people have this thing in their heads where it's cute little bald kids running around. That was not my experience at all. Certainly, never have I seen that happening; it's quite the opposite."

LeVine has made a habit of raising money for cancer-fighting organizations using his culinary skills. A Fork Cancer dinner featuring four other restaurants — Robke's of Northport; 1653 Pizza Company of Huntington; Blackbird Kitchen & Cocktails of Wantagh; and Rustic Root Kitchen of Woodbury — was held in April 2022.

"Cooking Live," another segment of dinners, has featured celebrities like John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as sous-chefs.