Shirley Maria DeMatte Cavallo
Shirley is survived by her children Jeannine Altemose, Pilar Campisi, Dr. Johnathan Cavallo and wife Ashley, Dr. Marisa Bosler and fiancé Patrick Ely, and Brondo Cavallo; grandchildren Dr. Rick Oravec and wife Dr. Ashley Nelson, Rebecca Grace Sichik and fiancé Isiah Knighton, Christopher Bosler, Ryan Bosler, Lucas Bosler, Hannah Bosler, John John Cavallo, Danielle Cavallo, Luca Cavallo, Lillie Cavallo, Maximus Cavallo, and Norway Campisi; great-grandchildren Alisha Marie Sichik, Kathryn Piper Sichik, Richard John Oravec, Raina Marie Oravec, and Isabelle Bosler; her brother, Dr. John DeMatte III and his wife Catherine, niece Catherine Burawski, nephew Dr. John DeMatte IV, great nieces Mia and Piper DeMatte, and great nephew John DeMatte V.
Shirley Cavallo was a true Renaissance woman whose ability to see truth and beauty in places where others wouldn’t even think to look made this world more meaningful. Whether she was curating her antique collection and delighting in a new discovery, engaging her skills as master chef at her restaurant La Locanda Del Cavallo, or hosting an unforgettable meal where hours later, everyone would still be gathered around the table in animated conversation, Shirley savored life, each and every moment of it.
If Shirley Cavallo loved you, it was a sustaining energy source, a palpable courage that made you believe in the power of your own light. It didn’t matter if you were family, a friend or a stranger who touched her heart, she could see beneath the veneer and was able to infuse the most authentic part of you with joy.
To visit her home was like being transported in time to Europe throughout the ages. Shirley and her husband met when they were young, fell in love, and bought a centuries old cottage and transformed it into a place where history and family were cherished and celebrated. The rooms themselves speak through the provenance of personal treasures and precious mementos that adorn them.
Shirley transcended the stereotype of her generation, successfully balancing motherhood and the running of a family farm, with the pursuit of her culinary career. She knew that a woman could be fiercely independent without sacrificing the ability to be there for her family, and she wanted her children to grow up knowing that, too.
Some highlights of her remarkable life: She studied with legendary chefs Julie Dannenbaum, James Beard, George Perrier and Jacques Pepin, and was one of the first guest chefs at the prestigious James Beard Foundation in Greenwich Village, New York. Long before health conscious cooking was on anyone’s radar, Shirley innovated alternatives to many classic recipes that would inspire the Rodale Institute to feature her creations in books like Build Your Harvest Kitchen, as well as in magazines. Her restaurant La Locando Del Cavallo drew patrons from around the globe including Luciano Pavarotti, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Stanley Tucci, Harry Connick, Jr, among many others.
One of Shirley’s lesser known talents was singing. During her teen years, she was a regular on the Paul Whitman Show out of Philadelphia, a popular children’s program, and continued as a cast member when Eddie Fischer took over the show.
A dear friend of Shirley’s may have said it best in the letter he wrote when he heard of her passing: “We will always remember the Sunday dinners spent at Cavallo’s with our very young children. When many establishments did not welcome children, your mom embraced ours as though they were her own.” Shirley always said, “If you don’t bring the kids, how are they ever going to learn?”
A Mass of Christian Burial shall be scheduled for a later date, with the arrangements being entrusted to the Finegan Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, it would mean so much to the family if you’d make a donation to the charities that were close to her heart: NCMICfoundation.org, a non-profit that supports chiropractic medicine and its practitioners; The James Beard Foundation, jamesbeard.org.