One of CNY’s top chefs fell ill. Friends and fans work to get him back in the kitchen

Chef Kevin Gentile

Chef Kevin Gentile. (Don Cazentre photo)

Kevin Gentile is optimistic he’ll be back running the kitchen at Daniella’s Fresh Seafood & Pasta House within a couple of months.

But there are a few things he has to take care of first.

Gentile, one of the top chefs in Central New York, suffers from a hereditary kidney disorder that led to the deaths of his father and grandfather. He recently had both kidneys removed and is on dialysis waiting for a donor so he can have surgery.

That could happen soon, he said. His sister is a potential donor.

“If we can get this done, I can’t wait to get back to work,” Gentile said today from a room at Upstate University Hospital. “I can’t wait to write a new menu and get in that kitchen again.”

Daniella’s owner Charlie Roman and Gentile’s many friends are doing what they can to make that happen.

Daniella’s location at the New York State Fairgrounds (the former Empire Room) will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 13) for a fundraiser to help cover Gentile’s medical costs. Pre-sale tickets are $40 or you can make a donation at the door.

There are hors d’oeurves, a cash bar, raffles and live music. All proceeds go to help Gentile get back on his feet. For more information, email jennie@daniellassteakhouse.com.

Roman, who also owns Daniella’s Steakhouse on State Fair Boulevard near the fairgrounds, is not surprised by Gentile’s eagerness and confidence to get back in action.

“He’s a strong guy, an outgoing guy,” Roman said. “If he says he can get back in two months, I believe him. He might even do it faster.”

Gentile, 50, grew up and started his cooking career in Utica. In Syracuse, he owned his own restaurant, Gentile’s “Eclectic Italian,” first on Burnet Avenue and later on North Geddes Street. He has also worked as a chef for many top restaurants in Syracuse and Utica.

Roman hired Gentile to help run the kitchen at the seafood and pasta restaurant at the fairgrounds when it opened in 2020.

He is also one of the chefs behind the group Philanthropic Foodies, which has held food-based fundraisers that benefit charitable organizations for several years. His restaurant hosted some of its early events.

“There would be no Philanthropic Foodies without Kevin Gentile,” Renee Duffy, a co-founder of the group, wrote recently on Facebook. “He took our half-baked idea and gave us the venue and resources to build it. The $250k we’ve raised, we owe in large part to him. Now, he needs us, please join us next Wednesday to support a Chef who has always supported others.”

Gentile hasn’t been able to work in more than a month and has to go in for dialysis at least four times a week. He has also headed to Upstate hospital several times for emergencies in recent weeks.

But he plans to be on hand Wednesday to greet his friends.

“If I can, if I can be there, I certainly will,” he said. “The thing I’ve missed most since this started is the people.”

Benefit for chef Kevin Gentile

Daniella's Fresh Seafood & Pasta House hosts a benefit for chef Kevin Gentile on Oct. 13.

Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.

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