In yet another example of the restaurant community taking care of its own, a Go Fund Me campaign for chef Jack Riebel, who has been fighting cancer for nearly two years, has raised more than $36,000 in less than a week.
"The bell rings this morning for the next round of the fight," said Riebel, chef and co-owner of the Lexington (1096 Grand Av., St. Paul, thelexmn.com), in a social media post. "Today was a moment of truth. My prognosis is not great, but I am not done yet. I will continue to make as many moments and memories as my health allows."
Riebel, a fixture in the Twin Cities dining scene, was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in the summer of 2019 and is about to undergo an aggressive fourth round of treatment. There is no known cure.
"Jack is passionate about the Twin Cities community and has contributed countless dinners to charities and donates his time any chance he gets," said Josh Thoma, co-owner of the Lexington. "The pandemic has taken a toll on the restaurant industry, the Lexington included, with closures and limited hours. Sadly, this has really impacted Jack but we are doing all we can to support him and his family during his uphill cancer battle. Jack is family to us."
The campaign, started last week by WCCO's Jason DeRusha, swelled to $21,000 on the first day. "You know Jack is the last person on earth who would ask for help," DeRusha wrote on the Go Fund Me page. "But the time is here for us to step up and extend the love and hospitality that he and Kat [wife Kathryne Cramer] have shared with us all these years.
"His spirit is high, his optimism is infectious, but his cancer is relentless."
