9-Year-old Make-A-Wish Survivor Chosen to Design Ritzy Restaurant Sandwich for Fundraiser –Due to His ‘Expensive Taste’
A 9-year-old transplant survivor recently had the opportunity of a lifetime to help craft a menu item for the restaurant of a ritzy Pittsburgh hotel.
In the name of raising money for the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, little chef in the making Prince Wise was adamant it be crab cakes.
Wise was just 7 when he was rushed to the hospital with dilated cardiomyopathy, an inflammatory condition of the left ventricle. He needed immediate surgery, a special pediatric heart assist machine, and months to recover.
During that time, he was on the waiting list for a heart for a total of 3 months, a harrowing experience for him and his mother.
“Everything happened so quick,” 30-year-old Chantell Hardin told Today. “At that time, we were told he had to go to immediate surgery in order to save his life. It was the worst nightmare ever.”
A donor heart was eventually found, and Wise underwent the transplant successfully. But there was something particularly bad about the whole experience: the hospital food.
Wise is no fool when it comes to food. Even though he’s just a boy, he knows every one of the 50 spices that Hardin keeps in her spice rack. He likes a good seafood boil, and loves nothing more than a visit to the local sushi bar.
Once he learned how to eat without a feeding tube, he had to deal with cheeseburgers and a berry shake every day, because everything else was just too bland. During his treatment, Hardin got in contact with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which organized a trip to Orlando, Florida on a tour of its famous amusement parks.
The experience was amazing, but Hardin assumed that was the end of their association. Then, last year, Make-A-Wish of Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia reached out to see if the little survivor wanted to help design a dish for the restaurant at the Fairmount Hotel in Pittsburgh Floor 2, leaving the son and mother crying with excitement.
YOU’LL LOVE TO READ: 8-Year-old Heart Transplant Patient Craved Pickles so Hospital Chef Taught Her How to Make Them
Arriving at the Fairmount, Wise got to meet head chef Fernando Canales from Mexico, and after familiarizing himself with the kitchen and ingredients, sat down to brainstorm a dish.
“I was impressed when he said, ‘Oh I love crabcakes,’ because he’s a kid,” Canales tells TODAY.com. “When he told me, ‘Oh I love lobster.’ I was like, ‘You have expensive taste.’”
They discussed how to incorporate crab into the menu, how to account for seasonable availability, and what to do about garnishes and flavors to make a high-end restaurant-quality menu item.
MORE LITTLE SURVIVORS: These Twins Are Thriving 10 Years After Open Heart Surgery at Queensland Children’s Hospital
Wise suggested avocado. Perfect, Canales said. There had to be extra thin fries on the side like McDonalds. Tartar sauce suggested the chef—here’s how to make it. The brainstorming went well, and soon, Prince’s Crab Cake Sandwich was featured on the menu for several months to raise money for Make-A-Wish.
The hotel gifted Prince an apron and chef’s hat with his name on them, capping an experience he’ll never forget. Hardin was parental pride personified.
“He rocked it,” she said. “Everything was so natural for him.”
SHARE This Inspiring Story Of A Resilient Boy And His Love For Cooking…
>read more at © GoodNews
Views: 0