Gabe Bencivenga was the quiet force behind the scenes at Gene & Gabe’s, a premier Atlanta restaurant and entertainment hot spot of the 1970s and 1980s.
While co-owner Gene Dale was the face of the restaurant, warmly welcoming stars such as Lana Turner, Rosemary Clooney, Paul Lynde and Joan Rivers, Bencivenga was in the kitchen, overseeing the preparation of dishes that would keep the elite clientele coming back.
His dedication to fresh ingredients was unmatched; he even cultivated a sprawling vegetable garden on the rooftop of a second Gene & Gabe’s he opened in 1997 in historic Roswell. He was committed to ensuring that only the best ingredients made it onto customers’ plates.
He never relented in that belief. For the past two years, he spent Thursday nights with niece Linda Daeschler and her husband, Evan, trying different restaurants.
“He wanted to try every pork chop in Roswell, and, yes, he did critique them,” Daeschler said. “I am definitely missing my Thursday nights.”
Gabriel “Gabe” Bencivenga, co-founder of the iconic Gene & Gabe’s in Midtown, died July 23. He was 91.
Bencivenga and partner Gene Dale dreamed up the idea of opening an upscale restaurant in Atlanta while working together at Elaine’s, a swank New York City restaurant with a who’s who list of diners.
Dale was from Georgia, and he knew there wasn’t a restaurant in Atlanta that would compare with Elaine’s. Few restaurants in Atlanta had white tablecloths and cloth napkins when they opened.
With little money to their names, they rented a storefront on Piedmont Road to transform into their dream. Ingenuity prevailed. Bencivenga rebuilt their cash supply by making breakfasts for workmen constructing nearby Ansley Mall as they plotted their buildings’ new look, said Sylvia Attkisson, who was a friend and neighbor in the Ansley Park neighborhood for more than 50 years.
The restaurant on Piedmont Road near Monroe Drive quickly became a must-visit location for anyone who was anyone in Atlanta. Celebrities were regular diners at what was dubbed the “Sardi’s of Atlanta,” referencing another swanky New York City restaurant. Bencivenga said it was one of his proudest moments when he closed the restaurant to customers so President Jimmy Carter and his family could dine there.
Next door, huge crowds flocked to “Upstairs at Gene & Gabe’s,” ground zero for Atlanta’s cabaret scene when it opened in 1980.
Credit: courtesy of
Credit: courtesy of
The two men made up a winning combination: Dale was the consummate entertainer and host, and Bencivenga was pure Italian and had mastered cooking at the side of his mother and grandmother.
Bencivenga’s Gene & Gabe’s The Lodge in Roswell also drew headliners, including sports figures, such as baseball’s Joe Torre, basketball’s Pete Maravich, and Hockey Hall of Famer Gary Eggleston.
Nephew Danny Toledo said the clientele worked to his and his dad’s advantage. Bencivenga would use his connections to score them tickets to Atlanta Flames hockey and Atlanta Braves baseball games.
Bencivenga regularly opened up his home for holiday dinners and large poolside foodfests at his Ansley Park home.
His nieces and nephews said visits from “Uncle,” as they called Bencivenga, were always exciting, whether he was coming from Manhattan or Atlanta to Brooklyn to see them.
“It was always such a big deal when he was coming into town because of all the love he showed us,” said niece Laura Fayard. “He treated us when we were growing up like his own children.”
Always a jokester, Bencivenga was known for his naughty, inappropriate, and always funny humor.
Neighbor Attkisson said there were times when Bencivenga’s car would come careening into the driveway of his home. He’d slam on the brakes and get out of the car yelling: “That’s it. Gene and Gabe’s is closed.
“Of course, the next day it was business as usual,” she said.
Bencivenga sold his share in Gene & Gabe’s on Piedmont to Dale in 1985. The restaurant closed in 1990. Dale died in 2018.
Bencivenga continued to run Gene & Gabe’s The Lodge in Roswell until he retired in 1997. Afterward, he spent years traveling and making up for the time he missed with his nieces and nephews while he was busy fulfilling his dream.
A private service was held for family.
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