Boston Chefs Unite To Help Fishermen's Families

When six local men on two fishing boats were lost at sea within a week last January, local chefs were startled and saddened. Recognizing their dependence on New England fishermen to provide them with the beautiful seafood they serve each night in their restaurants, Chef Gordon Hamersley and friends Roger Berkowitz, Chef Barbara Lynch, Chef Rich Vellante and Chef Jasper White decided to turn Valentine's Day evening into a fundraiser called Boston Chefs for Fishermen's Families. Thirty chefs and restaurateurs participated, raising $20,722 to aid the loved ones of the six lost fishermen.

"We depend on these guys to get us the freshest fish day in and day out. They are our direct connection to the bounty of New England's waters, and we greatly value our relationships with them and respect them for their skill," says Hamersley. "The stories we've read about these fishermen say that they died doing what they loved, and we thought we could pay tribute to them by doing what we love: cooking, on a day when people show their love for each other."

Participating restaurants donated a portion of their Valentine's Day dinner sales to The Gloucester Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity that created a separate account for Boston Chefs for Fishermen's Families to ensure that the money raised will directly reach the families of those that worked on Lady of Grace, which sunk on January 26 in Nantucket Sound, and Lady Luck, lost off the coast of Maine on February 1.

Boston Chefs for Fishermen's Families will distribute $3,453 to each of the families of Captain Sean. P. Cone and Daniel Robert Miller, who were fishing on Lady Luck, and of Captain Antonio Barroqueiro, Mario Farinhas, Joao Silva and Rogerio Ventura, who were manning Lady of Grace.

Instrumental in helping the chefs reach the fishermen's families are attorney Ann-Margaret Ferrante of Kiely, Visnick & Ferrante in Rockport, Mass.; Angela Sanfilippo of the Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association; and Deb Shrader of Shore Support in New Bedford, Mass.

The organizers wish to extend their gratitude to the following restaurants, which have made Boston Chefs for Fishermen's Families a success through their contributions: Anthony's Pier 4, Aquitaine, Aura Restaurant, Avila, B&G Oysters Ltd., The Butcher Shop, Chez Henri, Craigie Street Bistrot, Davio's, Duckworth's Bistrot, Excelsior, The Fireplace, Grill 23 & Bar, Hamersley's Bistro, Harvest, Henrietta's Table, Jasper White's Summer Shack, KingFish Hall, Legal Sea Foods, Lineage, Lumi�re, No. 9 Park, Oleana, Olives, Rialto Restaurant + Bar, Seasons Restaurant, Union Bar & Grille, and UpStairs on the Square.

Gloucester restaurant Duckworth's Bistrot extended its promotion in March, donating 10% of its Wednesday evening sales to the fund and allowing diners to make their own donations through March 31. The Anthony Spinazzola Foundation, a locally based hunger relief non-profit, also generously contributed.