Sponsors

• BioMarin provided Cook for Love with a generous educational grant that helped fund our website design and development. Thank you!

About BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.

Biomarin develops innovative medicines for people with Phenylketonuria (PKU) as well as other diseases. BioMarin developed Kuvan® (sapropterin dihydrochloride) Tablets, which is approved to reduce blood Phe levels in patients with PKU that respond to BH4. BioMarin is committed to ensuring that our therapies are available to all those who are in need through patient support services like BPPS (BioMarin Patient and Physician Support) which assists with access to treatment, insurance coverage, and reimbursement support and grants to NORD (National Organization of Rare Disorders) for financial assistance for medicines and formula for PKU. A free 30-day trial of Kuvan offers people with PKU the opportunity to find out if they respond to Kuvan, while BPPS works on the insurance pre-approval. Call BPPS at 1-877-MY-KUVAN (1-877-695-8826) to find out more.

• Liam and Catriona Bobker set up a booth every Friday night in the Summer to raise enough money to cover the cost of the video production of one of our cooking demos. They will appear in the demo so you can see just how cute they are.

By: Catriona Bobker, age 10

"Well I raise money for cook for love because my brother has pku which stands for phenylketonuria. My best friend molly has pku to. What I do to raise money for cook for love is I help my dad run a car cruise every Friday night, we get a bunch of cars together and we sell t-shirts! Whatever amount of money we earn we would split the money half to the wounded warrior project and to pku. Another way I raise money for cook for love is I make these really nice cards and I sell them and whatever money I get I give to cook for love. I did this so Brenda the head chef/hot chef can find out nicer better and tastier recipes so that more kids with pku will not feel as limited as they would before because they were very limited before. I know all this because my brother has pku. That’s why I raise money for cook for love! Cook For Love you don’t have to love to cook but sometimes you do have to cook for love!”

• Mary and Bob Winiarski, my wonderful in-laws, provided Cook for Love with the funding for a video as well. While they are also cute, I doubt I can convince them to appear on a video! Thank you for your support and Bob for your endless supply of veggie nuggets.

• Nutricia provided Cook for Love with the funding to help cover the cost of a digital camera. Thanks to their gracious donation we can provide you with pictures of our finished products as we enter more and more recipes on the site. (They won’t be as nice as Nat’s but we will do our best to give you a sense of how delicious the food is).

MY THANKS

On a personal note, I would like to take a moment to thank a few people who have helped to make this site possible.

My husband Gregg. He did not even blink when I told him the cost of culinary school, nor did he believe me when I said I would not hit him up for any more money once I graduated. He has done countless editing and filed all of the paperwork necessary to get this not-for-profit up and running. The Winiarski Foundation has also been incredibly generous in funding this site, so thanks sweetie.

My sister Jen who is behind the scenes in this endeavor. From the moment Molly was born, she was supporting all of my efforts. She put aside her fears of the diet and dove in with me in the kitchen. She had the gall to move out of the country, but still provides editing, grant writing and most importantly support long distance. You rock Jen.

My parents, who watched Molly and Jack countless times so that I could get this site up and running.  A special thanks to my mom who taught me that cooking is an expression of love.  Growing up and to this day, when someone is going through a difficult time, she is there with a pot of soup, dinner or if you are really lucky scones.  We never would have gotten through those first few weeks after Molly was diagnosed without your help.  Thank you for all that you do and I love you both.

The entire Bobker family for all that you have done. You started me on this journey. You opened your home and your hearts to me many years ago and were there to hold us up when Molly was diagnosed. Liam and Catriona, thanks for the honest feedback of recipes that would make a food critic proud.

Oh yeah and Rosie Loughran. She has been fairly helpful as well. Rosie, you have been there every step of the way. When we first met you showed me what it meant to cook for love. Your tireless devotion to Liam was something I always admired, your friendship is something I will always value. Your recipe testing, feedback, guidance, a shoulder to cry on on those days when PKU just sucks, an ear to listen to me complain, oh the list could go on and on…. There are days when the loneliness and frustration can be overwhelming. Having a friend who truly understands what you are going through is invaluable. The moment we realized this site was really a possibility, you jumped aboard. Thanks for being the backbone of my support.

OUR THANKS

Shideh Mofidi, our nutritionist at Westchester Medical Center. Without her guidance, our children would not be who they are today. Shideh, you have supported and encouraged us every step of the way. You put us in contact with the right people, pushed our concept to your colleagues and even helped with the nutritional analysis of the recipes. You are an incredible nutritionist and a great friend. We love you and appreciate all that you do.

Sandra Shpilberg from BioMarin. When you heard our plans you told us to call if we needed help. Not really having a clue how to go about getting our concept from our heads, to paper, to fruition, we called. You did not hesitate to help. For an individual and a company to take such a blind leap of faith is incredible. Sandra thanks for believing in us and for all of your guidance. A special thanks to BioMarin not only for their generous educational grant, but for all that you have done and continue to do for this community.

Webservesus, especially James Bradley, our web designer who has taken our vision and put it in front of you, our community. Sheetal and Eddy, not only for your programming skills, but your dedication and interest in making this site something special.  Richard and Anthony for your patience in dealing with two giggling ninnies who are not comfortable in front of the camera.

Nat Norwood and Melissa Lum who came to our house to take beautiful pictures for our site, and refused to accept the money they deserved.

To the PKU community. Your support and advice has been what got us through many a difficult day especially in the first few years of our children’s lives. A special thanks to all of the teenagers and adults with PKU who so willingly share their experiences. Your insight guides us in becoming better parents.

To the National PKU News, especially Virginia Schuett. Thanks for providing us with information on what is happening in our community, especially the inspirational stories from so many young adults with PKU.

To the newly formed National PKU Alliance. We might be few in number, but united we can finally have a voice and be heard. With NPKUA, we can begin to work on the legislation that desperately needs to be changed so that people can get coverage. As a national organization, we can increase awareness and funding for our community. Thank you!

All of the food and formula companies who strive to provide better options for our community. A special thanks to Lynn from Cambrooke Foods and Malathy from Taste Connections for their exceptional dedication to this community and their wonderful products.

Last but not least our children Liam, Catriona, Molly and Jack who inspire us to do better everyday.