Connecticut Dining Hall on the Storrs campus will raise awareness for Rare Disease Day on Friday, February 27, in partnership with student employee Gabby DiSalvo. DiSalvo was born with Myofibrillar Myopathy, a rare genetic condition that causes significant muscle weakness. Gabby is in her senior year at UConn, and the condition has not slowed her down. She has been passionately pursuing her degree and her love of cooking through creating cooking shows, building a personal brand, and working in the CT Dining Hall alongside kitchen staff. She is truly an inspiration to the team at CT Dining Hall and the student workers there.
While Rare Disease Day is officially observed on February 28 this year, Dining Services will recognize the occasion a day early with a CT Hall dinner action bar hosted by Gabby and an opportunity for all Dining staff to wear purple in support. Purple, Gabby’s favorite color, is also widely recognized as the color of disability advocacy.
About Rare Diseases
- 300 million people worldwide are living with a rare disease
- 72% of rare diseases are genetic
- A disease is rare if it affects fewer than 200,000 people in the US. Globally, there are over 10,000 known rare diseases.
- In many cases, there are limited treatment options, highlighting the need for continued awareness, research, and support for individuals and families affected.
About Gabby
- As of 2006, Gabby was 1 of only 3 born with Myofibrillar Myopathy symptoms. It is most common for symptoms to start appearing in 30-40
years old, so presenting with symptoms since birth is considered ultra-rare.
- She developed her personal brand, Cooking On Wheels, to show that people with disabilities can cook amazing dishes with the right adaptations & creativity.
- She creates her Cooking on Wheels episodes with UCTV in the demo kitchen at Putnam Dining Hall
- She has appeared twice on The Rachael Ray Show. In 2020, for the 2500th episode, and also in 2023.
- Her goal is to host her own cooking show to advocate for people with disabilities and rare diseases and to teach adaptive cooking techniques.
- Learn more about Gabby & check out her cooking episodes at https://linktr.ee/cookingonwheels
CT Hall Event: On Friday, Feb 27, you can catch Gabby at the CT Dining Hall World Fare station during dinner (4-7:15pm), hosting a Top Your Own Potato Bar. CT Hall will also be serving Butterfly Pea Tea.
Menu
Potato Bar: Purple Potatoes & Baking Potatoes
Topping Bar includes: Brisket, Broccoli, Vegan Shitake Mushrooms, Pickled Red Onion, Red Cabbage Coleslaw, Cheese, Sour Cream
Butterfly Pea Tea: This caffeine-free, herbal infusion is renowned for its natural, intense blue color and color-changing properties; it shifts from deep blue to purple or pink when lemon juice is added.
The Department of Dining Services is honored to accept the Gold Medal for the Best Local Foods recipe contest from the 
