Longtime owner of DeFlippo's Restaurant cooking up a storm at Kenmore Mercy

It's not often you walk into a hospital and think you're inside an Italian restaurant, but that's what it was inside Kenmore Mercy Hospital on Friday.

We were invited there for a special lunch prepared by a man many people have come to know and love over the years, Jerry DeFlippo the longtime owner of DeFlippo's Italian Restaurant.

The aroma of garlic filled the halls of Kenmore Mercy Hospital Friday afternoon.

"We are making spaghetti, meatballs, a great salad," explains DeFlippo.

DeFlippo's Italian Restaurant in Lockport closed in 2018 but the recipes live on along with the memories.

"I had a lot of memories in the restaurant business. It was very satisfying," says DeFlippo.

So why is he cooking for the staff at the hospital? He's a patient here.

"I've been here for what three weeks? Three weeks yeah," says DeFlippo.

He is recovering from complications due to diabetes.

"I came in here and I could hardly walk and now I can walk quit a bit," he explains.

"I'm Matt Clifford. I'm his occupational therapist here. I started working with him a little bit, working on his sitting, balance, we kind of work on his everyday routine," says Clifford.

He says part of that routine includes cooking! Something he's done for decades.

"I heard he owned DeFlippo's and I said let's just make some sauce. It's a little more meaningful, purposeful. It means something to him," says Clifford.

And it means a lot to the staff at Kenmore Mercy, too.

If you are a fan of DeFlippo's food, Jerry says his son is cooking up all the recipes at Wagner's Restaurant.