Sept. 2, 2020

Sioux Falls is still waiting to see its first appearance on the show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” but one local family is sharing a touching story that happened behind the scenes.

When celebrity chef Guy Fieri came to Sioux Falls in June to record episodes of his hit show, fans followed as he visited area restaurants and walked through downtown Sioux Falls.

But one family had an extra memorable experience.

Shane Gerlach and his family are huge fans of Fieri. The year before their son, Derek, was born, Gerlach and his wife went to Fieri’s live show in Sioux City, experiencing a quick meet-and-greet and receiving an autographed cookbook after the show. Since then, the Gerlachs have traveled all around the Midwest to visit restaurants that Fieri has frequented in his quest to have all 50 states featured on his show.

Derek has inherited the fandom. And for him, the long-awaited visit from Fieri ended up having extra-special meaning. The seventh-grader, who has been battling cancer since 2018, ended up having some one-on-one time with the beloved television personality. 

The story starts on Election Day 2018. Derek had gone to a scheduled MRI because of dizziness and nausea, and the diagnosis confirmed his parents’ worst fears. The doctors had found a mass on the base of their son’s skull, kicking off more than a year of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

Immediately, the Gerlachs brainstormed ways to raise funds and awareness for Derek’s fight against cancer. They created a Facebook page called FightDerekfight, which provided updates on Derek’s condition and directed friends and family to a GoFundMe page. The family also got wristbands made that read “Fight Derek Fight” and contacted local businesses to ask them to sell the wristbands to help raise money.

One of those businesses was Bread & Circus Sandwich Kitchen. As frequent patrons of the restaurant, the Gerlachs had befriended Barry Putzke, the restaurant’s co-owner. Putzke said he had been closely following Derek’s fight and immediately agreed to sell the wristbands at the business.

That’s how the restauranteur, the young cancer patient and the celebrity chef would come to connect.

After a long screening process where Putzke had to provide production company Citizen Pictures with background information and menu details, he found out Bread & Circus made the cut for an appearance on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” Fieri and his crew arrived at the restaurant June 27 and started filming the segment. 

Once Gerlach found out Fieri was coming to town, he reached out to Putzke to see if the celebrity chef would wear a “Fight Derek Fight” wristband while filming. Putzke asked one of the production assistants if it would be possible. A few minutes later, she came back and said Fieri wanted to meet Derek. 

With the production on a time crunch, Putzke quickly reached out to Gerlach and said he had to be at the restaurant in a half-hour. Gerlach immediately got in the car with Derek and headed downtown. 

“I had no idea this was going to happen,” Gerlach said. “I honestly was shocked by it.”

Once they arrived, Gerlach and his son were ushered to the kitchen, where they watched Fieri film the food-preparation segments. All of a sudden, Gerlach said he noticed the producers had lights on Derek. 

Next thing he knew, he was watching his son try the restaurant’s Vietnamese chicken sandwich on camera with Fieri next to him, lightly teasing Derek on his aversion to vegetables. While Gerlach was shocked to see this unfold in front of him, he said he was even more impressed by what came after the cameras stopped rolling. 

Off-camera, Fieri took Derek aside to chat about the impact cancer has had on his life. Since Fieri’s sister, Morgan, died in 2011 from metastatic melanoma, he has raised her son, Jules. Fieri also has been very active with charities such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

Gerlach said Fieri discussed the importance of a healthy diet with Derek. Although Derek underwent his final round of chemotherapy in December, is off medication and is just now starting school, he still has about six months of physical therapy in front of him. Fieri reminded the young fan that a healthy diet is a key factor on the road to recovery. 

Gerlach was moved that Fieri took the time to speak with his son, shedding his boisterous on-air persona to have a heart-to-heart on important topics. 

“He’s almost a parody of himself, but when you hear him talk about issues important to him, it’s totally different from his over-the-top image,” Gerlach said. “There was no ‘Flavortown,’ there was just the sincerity of a man who is raising his nephew because he lost his sister to cancer. It was really great to see.”

After they spoke, Fieri and Derek exchanged wristbands and took a photo together. While an air date isn’t set yet, and there’s no guarantee Derek will make it into the finished episode, he and his father came away with something more valuable — inspiring memories and advice they’ll never forget.

And for Putzke, his restaurant was able to help make a difference in ways he could’ve never imagined. 

“We’re happy to be able to do something,” he said. “There’s not a whole lot we can do as small-business owners. Just to be able to use the little platform we have to help shed some light, we’re happy to do it.”