Guy Fieri helps “Top Chef " Shirley Who Has Stage 4 Tongue Cancer
Bailey Richards
'Chefs for Shirley' will be held on Sept. 14 in Santa Rosa, California
Guy Fieri and Shirley Chung
Guy Fieri is helping out a friend in need.
The celebrity chef, 56, is hosting a fundraiser for Top Chef alum Shirley Chung, who was recently diagnosed with is stage 4 tongue cancer, he announced on Instagram on Monday, Aug. 19.
Alongside a flier for the Sept. 14 “Chefs for Shirley” fundraiser, the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives host explained why he decided to organize it with the Guy Fieri Foundation.
“My dear friend and amazing chef @chfshirleychung needs our help,” he wrote in the caption. “She has closed her restaurant and is in the battle for her life.”
He continued: “Great chefs and friends will be coming together in wine country to create an evening that no one will ever forget. Check out the link in my bio for tickets! Hope to see you there!!”
The chef lineup for the Santa Rosa, California fundraiser — billed as a “once-in-a-lifetime culinary experience" — includes Top Chef winner Buddha Lo, Antonia Lofaso, Stephanie Izard, Mei Lin, Lee Anne Wong and more. Fieri's son, Hunter, is also slated to attend.
Fieri also hinted that the event will feature even more culinary stars than the lineup suggests, writing, “PS: The amount of surprise chefs showing up should be pretty epic! Omg!!”
According to Fieri’s flier, the fundraiser will be held “in an intimate setting in Northern California Wine Country,” and will be “filled with culinary demonstration, mixology, amazing food, premium wines, with silent & live auctions.”
“Interact with all the Chefs and a few other surprises during this intimate Culinary Experience,” the fundraiser website reads. “All this to help raise money for Chef Shirley Chung’s treatments and medical bills in her Battle to KICK CANCER’S A--!”
Reacting to news of the fundraiser on her Instagram Stories, Chung, 47, wrote, “🫶🫶🫶Thank You ❤️❤️❤️ @guyfieri, my amazing chef community 🥲🥲🥲.”
“Grateful 🙏🙏🙏🥲🥲🥲,” she added in another post.
Chung — who was a finalist on seasons 11 of Top Chef and competed again in season 14 — first announced her cancer diagnosis on Instagram on July 26, writing that it came after a “series of dental issues” that were originally attributed to teeth grinding.
“The end of May, ulcers erupted in my mouth and my oral surgeon discovered a hidden tumor under my tongue,” she wrote. “A few days later, I was diagnosed, stage 4 tongue cancer, as cancer cells also spread into my lymph nodes. I was very calm when doctors delivered the news. As a chef, I’ve always thrived under pressure. I was extremely focused on getting all the tests and scans as fast as possible, so I can start on the treatment plans.”
The chef also revealed that she had just finished six weeks of chemotherapy — with “many more to go” — and included footage and photos of her shaving off her hair.
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In order to focus on her cancer treatment and recovery, Chung also decided to close her restaurant, Ms Chi Cafe. She announced the news in a joint Instagram post with the Culver City spot on July 26.
“In light of Chef Shirley’s diagnosis, we have made the difficult decision to close Ms Chi so she can focus on recovery,” the post read. “Ms Chi’s last day of operation will be Sunday, August 4th. We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you—our staff, supporters, and fans. We have truly enjoyed spreading the dumpling love over the last several years and calling Culver City our home!”
Tickets for Fieri's "Chefs for Shirley" fundraising event are available to purchase here. Platinum tickets are $4,500 and gold tickets are $2,500.
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