Why Mario Batali created a 7-course liquid meal for Jeannie and Jim Gaffigan’s anniversary dinner

What a wonderful anniversary gift.

10th Annual Stand Up For Heroes - Arrivals — Getty Images | Theo Wargo

Comedian Jim Gaffigan and his wife, Jeannie, recently celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary. The couple, who have five children together, have had a difficult year. Back in April, Jeannie underwent surgery to remove a life-threatening brain tumor.

Although the nine-hour surgery was a success, Jeannie is still recovering and is unable to eat solid foods. So, you would think that a celebratory dinner for their anniversary would be out of the question, but their friend and celebrity chef Mario Batali came up with a pretty clever work-around. Batali created a seven-course liquid meal for the couple to enjoy at his restaurant Del Posto in New York City. The comedian posted a photo of the menu on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXCXikdlqnM/

Gaffigan was touched by his friend’s gesture. Here’s what he said on Instagram about the extra-special anniversary dinner:

I was trying to find a nice place for us to celebrate but given Jeannie can not comfortably eat solids I was hoping to find a place that did amazing soups (yes, in July.) I knew Mario was on vacation but I hoped he could point me in the right direction. Mario responded insisting that we come to @delposto and that he would make sure we were well taken care of. When we arrived we saw that Mario had created a custom tasting menu of various gourmet soups with accompanied wines or cocktails. Of course the whole experience was insanely amazing but the generosity of kindness and compassion by Mario was most moving. Thanks Mario.

Jeannie also thanked Batali, sharing a snap of dessert (a chocolate shake) with the caption, “Thank you @mariobatali @delposto for making it possible for me to go out to dinner with @jimgaffigan for our anniversary!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXC7fpqHfjo/

The famous couple are not just husband and wife, they are also writing partners. They co-created the sitcom “The Jim Gaffigan Show,” which aired on TV Land for two seasons.

“Our relationship has always been—ever since we first started dating—it’s been collaborative,” Jim told People in April. “So we’ve always had this similar work ethic where we don’t really view it as a job. And it doesn’t happen in a set or even a scheduled time, it’s an ongoing discussion.”

Here’s to many more years for this happy couple!