ROBERTS, FRANCES/FREELANCE NYDNSweet genius Gina DePalma has passed away from ovarian cancer.
Mario Batali’s beloved former Babbo pastry chef Gina DePalma has died of ovarian cancer. She was 49.
DePalma became one of New York’s most respected dessert makers after landing a pastry apprenticeship at the venerable Chanterelle French restaurant before it closed.
But the sweet genius has confessed on her website that “baking was more of an accident than a plan.”
RIP to the finest pastry chef I’ve ever known. Gina DePalma was everything @BabboRistorante xxxxx Gina you are in our hearts FOREVER
— Mario Batali (@Mariobatali) December 30, 2015
Yet she found her calling in dreaming up delicious desserts, and joined fellow confectionist Claudia Fleming at Gramercy Tavern in 1994, before Batali tapped her as Babbo’s opening pastry chef in 1998.
She wrote the entire dessert chapter to “The Babbo Cookbook” by Mario Batali, and penned her own tome, “Dolce Italiano, Desserts From The Babbo Kitchen” in 2007. She also wrote a regular weekly column for the Serious Eats website while traveling around Italy and spending a six-month sabbatical living in Rome.
Larry Busacca/Getty Images for New York MagaziDePalma was one of New York City’s most celebrated pastry chefs.
DePalma picked up several awards, including the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2009 (after six prior nominations), and “Bon Appetit’s” Best Pastry Chef award in 2008 over the course of her career. She left Babbo in 2013, and has been splitting her time between her Washington Heights apartment and exploring Italy for a second book.
She revealed in her last blog post, “A Peaceful Wish For Autumn,” that she has been “dealing with” ovarian cancer for the last seven years, and first underwent surgery in 2007 followed by chemotherapy to treat the disease. She went under the knife again this past September.
“I’m hopeful, yes, nervous, yes, a little scared, yes, but really, I just want to get it over with and back on track as soon as possible,” she wrote in the Sept. 27 entry, the night before going into surgery.
She signed off with “Shine on you crazy diamonds!”
So so sad to hear the passing of Gina Depalma . She fought so hard for so long. Rest in peace sweet lady X
— April Bloomfield (@AprilBloomfield) December 30, 2015
Batali shared the passing of “the finest pastry chef I’ve ever known,” in a somber tweet on Wednesday morning.
“Gina DePalma was everything @BabboRistorante,” he wrote. “Gina you are in our hearts FOREVER.”
RIP to my courageous friend and extraordinary pastry chef, writer, and human being Gina DePalma. Your talent and your spirit inspired many.
— edlevine (@edlevine) December 30, 2015
Celebrity chefs also shared their condolences on social media.
“Rest in peace Gina DePalma,” tweeted Iron Chef and “Chopped” judge Alex Guarnaschelli.
“So so sad to hear the passing of Gina Depalma . She fought so hard for so long. Rest in peace sweet lady X” added The Spotted Pig chef April Bloomfield.
“RIP to my courageous friend and extraordinary pastry chef, writer, and human being Gina DePalma. Your talent and your spirit inspired many,” wrote SeriousEats founder Ed Levine..
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.