On June 9, two worlds collide in the heart of Harlem for an evening that’s equal parts performance, purpose, and palate. Refettorio Harlem, the community-centered space founded by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore, will host Chef’s Lab x GALLIM, a one-night event blending culinary creations and contemporary dance to support food access and the arts.
This isn’t your average fundraiser. It’s a fully immersive, three-hour experience held at 37 W 119th Street, where a ticket buys more than a meal. It opens the door to a conversation about care, creativity, and connection.
A Stage and a Table
Co-curated by Chef Silvia Baldini and food scholar and GALLIM board member Dr. Meryl Rosofsky, both powerhouses in their respective spheres, this evening puts artistry on full display. GALLIM, the celebrated New York-based dance company founded by Andrea Miller, will perform excerpts from MOTHER, a stirring new work that examines “themes of birth, continuity, and the invisible labor of care.”
As Miller herself asks, “If humanity is the baby, what could a mother provide for its survival? What songs, dances, smells would carry it through centuries of change?”
That question doesn’t just inspire the movement. It also anchors the menu.
A Feast of Symbolism
The dinner, a four-course feast, features an all-female chef team known for pushing culinary boundaries:
Silvia Baldini – Chopped champion and classically trained chef
Leah Guadagnoli – founder of the whimsical Fancy Feast Supper Club
Vita Palmieri – pasta artisan behind VITA Pasta Lab
Kayla Phillips – Executive Chef of Refettorio Harlem
Kristin Bryan – Senior Director of Culinary Innovation at HelloFresh US
The “Invention of MOTHER” menu exemplifies maternal symbolism with ingredients like oysters, broths, vinegar mothers, eggs, and pomegranate seeds. It is meaningful cooking that is intimate, instinctual, and expressive.
A Cause with Heart
The evening supports two key initiatives. At the forefront of this event are Free Food Harlem, the nonprofit extension of Refettorio Harlem, offering chef-made meals to the food insecure with restaurant-level dignity, and GALLIM, whose mission highlights dance education and bold performances like MOTHER.
This isn’t just a night out. It’s a chance to show up for Harlem and experience what happens when food and movement are used as tools for care.
Purchase tickets here.
