12/24/2025
Family and friends have generously asked to help and have requested us to set up this page. Mike is having a hard time running his restaurant Au Gratin due to kidney failure and triple heart bypass. We are trying to cover expenses for when he will likley need to shut down the restaurant for surgery- temporarily or permanently.
A little over a year ago my husband Mike Denk opened Au Gratin, a cute little French bistro in downtown Salem, MA. The space is charming, and the food is delicious and comforting. What should have been exciting and happy times for our family was traumatic. Mike opened the restaurant in the face of complete kidney failure. He cooks or waits on tables and begrudgingly leaves early for dialysis three times a week for five-hour sessions, even on Friday afternoons in the middle of October in Salem, MA. We are praying for a kidney transplant – hopefully me!
During renovations right before opening, Mike’s chronic kidney disease took a nosedive. A year prior, Mike had taken impressive steps to maintain his health, adopting a completely vegan diet and working out, etc. Au Gratin even features a separate vegan menu for this reason. His condition was stable, and we really thought he had more time. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Mike went to the emergency room at our local hospital in September 2024 and after what felt like forever, he was diagnosed with complete kidney failure at 39 years old. Due to the speed of his decline, there was a lot of uncertainty about his condition, and every day there was a new test looking for answers. Since his case was complex Mike transferred to Mass General Hospital in Boston. He didn’t come home for over a month.
It was bad. Seeing someone you love suffering from organ failure and transition to emergency dialysis was really scary, but much more so for our three young children, who couldn’t understand what was happening or why he wasn’t coming home. I didn’t know the answer - all I could do was reassure them doctors were working hard to help him feel better. My oldest daughter who just turned six asked me if Daddy was going to die, knowing beyond her years what that means. My role was to comfort and reassure our children, comfort Mike, and handle urgent matters for the business, wishing I could do more. Mike put on a brave face, especially when the kids could visit. Meanwhile, construction was basically on hold with large investments looming.
Mike came home and transitioned to hemodialysis, with treatments lasting five hours three times a week. These treatments are uncomfortable and draining. Miraculously, Mike pushed himself to continue with the restaurant opening. At the time, we had already invested so much into space, so it seemed like the right thing to do. It was not Mike’s first time running a business and his prior restaurant, Boston Hot Dog, did well. Au Gratin opened its doors on December 14, 2024. Labor costs were so much more than anticipated since Mike couldn’t physically work like before. He was just so tired, and his body ached. Being present for the kids took every last drop of energy.
Even with dialysis that should have helped Mike feel better, he was still extremely weak and tired. We learned this was likely because Mike had blockages in his heart and needed surgery. In April 2025 Mike had a triple heart bypass (the fourth artery was calcified), a major surgery requiring him to spend a week in the ICU before transitioning to the regular hospital floor due to his other health issues. The only reason doctors found out that Mike needed this surgery is because there was a potential kidney donor (me). Mike’s heart condition was discovered during testing for the transplant. I am incredibly grateful that doctors discovered the blockages when they did – he could have had a heart attack at any moment. On one hand, it was a miracle, and on the other hand, it was so disappointing since the transplant could not proceed.
When he was able, Mike slowly started working his way back to Au Gratin. Mike has poured his heart and soul into his career as a chef. Cooking and serving others is a calling. It is Mike’s love language – it is how be comforts, tells a story, cares, and connects to others. Au Gratin is the culmination of years of training, dedication, and working his way up of chain of the brigade in competitive fine dining.
Sadly, Mike cannot physically devote his full time and energy to the restaurant. Dialysis remains rough and recovery from heart surgery is still ongoing, with physical therapy and more doctor’s visits. No amount of passion and dreams can transcend his physical limitations. We have had to periodically close or operate on a limited schedule due to Mike’s health, but the rent and expenses don’t take a breather. I try to help wherever I can, but I work full-time in a completely different industry and am our children’s primary caregiver. The restaurant business has been particularly tough this year, with many well-loved eateries in Salem closing their doors. I honestly don’t know if we’ll make it. It is breaking our hearts. There is so much on the line, including generous support from Mike’s family, that it’s too big to fail and we would be letting down the people we love most. But it’s also too big to continue draining the last of our savings to get to a place where Mike can have the transplant and run the place like we imagined.
On December 2, 2025, we learned that Mike has now recovered enough from the heart surgery to get back on track for transplant. Since our tests are now over a year old, we are resuming testing and praying that I am still eligible and still a match. I tell Mike that if I can give him my kidney, it’s romantic and we were meant to be! He tells me that after we pass, we can be cremated in matching urns, and I can have the kidney back lol. Of course, if everything goes as best as it can be, he will eventually need another transplant since he is so young. I hope we are fortunate enough to get there.
I don’t think anyone could have prepared us for this journey. From more emergency room visits, changing and worsening symptoms, scrambling to arrange childcare, our preschooler’s separation anxiety from Daddy, taking multiple leaves of absence from my job, managing our affairs, the weight of finalizing wills in case of the worst – every single day feels overwhelming. I cannot even begin to imagine what Mike is feeling – he is trooper whose perseverance and resilience has continued to amaze me. It’s been an emotional roller coaster, to say the least. With so much going on in the world, these problems seem small, and we are so privileged to be where we are – everything is relative I suppose. I pray that we have shielded our children from the worst and they are too young to remember. They are our top priority and as a parent it never feels like enough.
We’d like to thank family and friends who have helped us, Mike’s long-time employees who joined him from Boston Hot Dog and remained loyal for over 5 years, and my employer Fragomen, which has been incredibly supportive throughout this very difficult time.
I don’t know if we made the right decision to still open the restaurant. It felt like the right decision at the time, and we are trying our best. I am so proud of Mike and how Au Gratin turned out. It’s a casual neighborhood place serving a deceivingly sophisticated menu that is understated and approachable. Come in for lunch – most likely it will be my husband Mike greeting you at the door. If our business closes for a while – or forever – I pray that it is because Mike is finally receiving the kidney transplant.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/d79h88-support-mikes-journey-to-a-kidney-transplant
