Famed Chef Gerry Hayden, Founder of North Table and Inn, Dies at 50

Gerry Hayden, chef and founder of the North Fork Table and Inn in Southold, died Wednesday after battling ALS since 2010. He was 50.

“Thank you for your prayers of love and support, please keep them coming,” a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page read.

Hayden and his wife, pastry chef Claudia Fleming, moved to the North Fork in 2005, when they rebuilt a former French restaurant and bed and breakfast on Main Road to become the North Fork Table and Inn, according to The Suffolk Times.

The couple, along with another couple, Mike and Mary Mraz, brought the property where the restaurant currently stands, on 57225 Main Road, in December of that same year.

Hayden was one of the first to take park in the “farm-to-table” movement and worked with local farmers to use fresh ingredients in his food, according to The Suffolk Times.

He was also a three-time finalist for best chef in the Northeast at the annual James Beard Foundation awards, according to Newsday.

After Hayden was diagnosed with the disease, he created A Love Shared, a non-profit to raise awareness and funds for ALS research, according to SoutholdLocal.

He participated in Ice Bucket Challenge, which can be seen in the video below.

A celebration to honor Hayden will take place and a date will be announced once it is determined.

“In the meantime remember him fondly with laughs, and smiles with food and family,” the Facebook message read. “He enjoyed nothing more then these blessings.”