The Seena Magowitz Foundation introduced its new high-profile cooking show, Care Kitchen, at its annual Power of Us event in Milwaukee.
Long-time foundation supporter Gary Fazio introduced the show at a luncheon, and also introduced its chef and host, Gia Fazio, his daughter. “I look forward to helping you rediscover the joy of cooking and eating, one recipe at a time,” she said.
Recipe cards for Greek-inspired Pasta Primavera, rich with onions, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, olives and crumbled feta cheese, were placed on all of the tables at the luncheon. That recipe was spotlighted on one of the Care Kitchen shows that have already aired.
The 320 pancreatic cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and other attendees gave the show an enthusiastic reception at events held throughout the weekend at the host Milwaukee Westin and at a dinner at the Discovery World Science and Technology Museum, nestled on the shore of Lake Michigan.
Care Kitchen is the brainchild of SMF founder Roger Magowitz, who lost his mother, Seena, to pancreatic cancer in 2001 and has led a crusade ever since to combat pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancers. Up to 70,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with the disease this year.
Magowitz envisioned Care Kitchen as a vehicle to help pancreatic cancer patients find nourishment and joy at a difficult time in their lives.
Backed by a high-powered production team that includes work on such well-known shows as “Top Chef,” Care Kitchen is quickly making its mark on the media landscape. It has more than 30,000 subscribers on YouTube, where it has already racked up more than one million views since its launch earlier this year.
When Magowitz was discussing the idea for the show with Gary Fazio, an industry consultant, he had a few questions for him: “Isn’t your daughter a chef? Could she work on our show?”
The answers were yes and yes.
Gia Fazio brings a science-based background to the show. She has a Ph.D in biochemistry and almost two decades of experience in agricultural biotechnology. She honed her cooking skills at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America.
Magowitz says she is “uniquely positioned to blend the knowledge, skills, and passion needed to fuse science and culinary expertise into something even bigger: support for those facing pancreatic and other cancers.”
“Food brings joy, and it’s about more than just nutrition,” adds Chef Gia. “It also has a huge impact on how you feel. That’s what motivates me – helping people find their way back to feeling good.”
Her Care Kitchen recipes offer practical, science-backed nutritional guidance on food that is nourishing, joyful and deeply healing, she says.
Care Kitchen, which Magowitz calls the most ambitious program the foundation has launched, is part of his vision to give pancreatic cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers the tools they need to improve the quality of their lives.
Good nutrition is paramount to good health, he says. And so is good sleep, a field to which he devoted his career as a mattress retailer.
The Discovery World event, in addition to featuring a Care Kitchen video that guests watched during dinner, included a well-received address by Dr. Michael Breus, known as “The Sleep Doctor.”
Breus, a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine, a fellow of The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and a familiar figure in the mattress industry, told the attendees that poor sleep is common, but treatable.
“Pancreatic cancer, you can definitely sleep through it,” he said. “There will be sleep challenges, but sleep is flexible. No one has to sleep perfectly. Everyone in here can get a good night’s sleep.”
That was a welcome message in a banquet hall filled with people affected by pancreatic cancer.
The Power of Us event was attended by 114 pancreatic cancer patients and survivors, 78 caregivers, about 50 medical professionals, and other guests. A tour of the cancer research labs at the Medical College of Wisconsin drew 100 attendees.
The dinner at Discovery World was sponsored by Customatic Sleep Technologies. Customatic CEO Phil McCarty and his wife, Ingrid, attended the event.
