LI Chef Who Beat Men's Breast Cancer Focuses On Giving Back: 'You Have Your Legacy'

EAST ISLIP, NY — Michael Landesberg escaped a brush with death when he was told he had one year to live if he did not get a mastectomy during the coronavirus pandemic.

Five years later, Landesberg is cancer free. His breast cancer diagnosis — a rarity for men — changed the way he views the world, however.

Landesberg, the executive chef and managing partner of Jackson Hall American Bar & Grille in East Islip, now sits on the board of The Male Breast Cancer Global Alliance. He hosts an annual All Boobs Matter fundraiser each October at his restaurant. And he gives back to various causes, including cancer charities, animal shelters, and local youth sports teams.

Breast cancer made Landesberg, 51, look at life differently, he said.

"It makes you realize what’s really important," Landesberg told Patch. "It makes you realize that no one is invincible, and our time here is limited. I believe that the time we have on earth, it’s really kind of short."

Landesberg's fight reshaped the way he views material items versus the intangibles.

"The truth is, someday, no one’s going to care about what car I drove, the house I lived in, the vacations I took or the jewelry that you wore," he said. "What you do have is — you have your legacy. If you can help people out and make the world a better place, that’s what’s really important."

Men can get breast cancer, too — that's Landesberg's critical message. About one out of every 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the United States is found in a man, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Breast cancer was diagnosed in approximately 2,300 men in 2017, and it killed roughly 500 male Americans in 2017, according to the CDC.

Landesberg recalls on April 20, 2020, he was on the phone with his best friend — a doctor. The chef had been scratching himself when he found a bump under his nipple and mentioned it to the doctor. The doctor asked him if it hurt, to which Landesberg responded that it didn't.

"[My friend] said, 'That’s not good,'" Landesberg recalled. "I didn’t realize that cancerous tumors don’t hurt. That’s when he sent me for a scan."

During the coronavirus pandemic, many hospitals were performing mandatory procedures only. The mastectomy that Landesberg needed to save his life was considered elective at the time, he said, calling it "mind-blowing".

"I was given one year to live if I didn’t have a mastectomy," he said. "I had a very aggressive form. You don’t die from breast cancer. You die from metastatic breast cancer. Once it spreads, there’s no cure. I was really nervous. I was like, ‘If this spreads, and I die, you’re telling me this is elective?’"

Memorial Sloan Kettering, which only deals with cancer patients, took Landesberg immediately, he said. That ultimately saved his life.

Landesberg then underwent chemotherapy. He spent a year recovering before he could return to his daily routines. The process was slow, and it took time for Landesberg to get back to 100 percent.

While Landesberg survived his diagnosis, it inspired him to give back and educate others on the possibility of male breast cancer, which he said there is "definitely" a stigma around.

"There’s definitely not as much awareness around the disease when it comes to men," he said.

Landesberg now sits on the board of directors of The Male Breast Cancer Global Alliance. He raises money for the alliance, as well as the West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition, at his annual All Boobs Matter fundraiser.

This year's event is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 6 at Jackson Hall. Landesberg has started collecting donations and prizes to raffle. The event raised $26,000 in its inaugural run in 2023, $42,000 in 2024, and Landesberg is hoping to eclipse that number in 2025.

Following one of his fundraisers, Landesberg traveled to Philadelphia to donate $10,000 to The Basser Center for BRCA, which conducts research to help people with the BRCA gene, which Landesberg himself has.

BRCA1 (Breast Cancer gene one) and BRCA2 (Breast Cancer gene two) are genes that produce proteins that help repair damaged DNA, according to the National Cancer Institute. Everyone has two copies of each of these genes — one copy inherited from each parent. People who inherit a harmful change — a mutation or pathogenic variant — in one of these genes have increased risks of several cancers —most notably breast and ovarian cancer.

Landesberg reflected on the moment when he was diagnosed with breast cancer and only given one year to live if he did not have a mastectomy and chemotherapy.

"It’s scary," he said. "Your life is immediately put on hold. Anything you think is important; nothing is important. Everything else is put on hold, and now, this takes precedence over everything."

Strangers, neighbors, friends, and family all came forward to help Landesberg when he needed it most.

"I vowed five years ago that if I get well, I would be there for others to help them out and pay it forward," he said. "Not just with cancer, but with anything. I’ve been very fortunate since then. I did get well, and I’m cancer free."

Landesberg has a platform through his work at Jackson Hall — the restaurant has nearly 17,000 Instagram followers and more than 9,000 on Facebook. The chef decided to integrate his cancer fundraising with his restaurant and use the venue to host fundraisers.

"I give back to pretty much any charity," Landesberg said. "Anyone who comes in here, I try to help them out. We’ve been very fortunate at Jackson Hall."

Landesberg, a 37-year veteran of the restaurant industry, said he believes Jackson Hall is in the top 1 percent of restaurants on Long Island — and also one of the most consistently busiest.

"I ran the busiest Houlihan’s in the country," Landesberg said. "I know what some of the busiest restaurants in New York do. We’re right up top there. We’re very fortunate. I decided to give back and help others, whether it’s our guests, other people going through a similar diagnosis. We give back to all different kinds of charities. We sponsor all different types of charities."

Landesberg views his fellow restaurateurs more as comrades than competitors.

"I help use my platform to literally save restaurants from closing down," he said. "I go out. I never cook at home. I go out and support other restaurants. I write reviews and do videos. It’s another way I can give back and help people."

Jackson Hall has an A La Bark menu where 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to local rescues for the next three months, Landesberg said.

The chef teamed up with Melissa Farrell from Going Local Long Island to help small businesses. Any merchant could offer something, and in return, Going Local Long Island would help market their store.

"It’s important for people to support local and support their local community," Landesberg said. "The reason I’m such an advocate for that is because these local mom and pops, this is really the foundation and the backbone of our communities."

Landesberg pointed to his list of prizes for his All Boobs Matter fundraiser as proof — all are from local mom-and-pop stores. He obtained a $500 Weber grill, a $5,000 diamond necklace and more items without the help of big corporations. All items are from small businesses.

"They’re the ones who are giving back," he said. "I believe we have to help them out and give back to them, as well."

Philanthropy is the legacy that Landesberg hopes he will one day leave behind.

"Some day, when I’m gone, people may say, 'I’m here,' 'My family member is here,' 'He helped save my business,'" he said. "To directly make an impact on people’s lives, that’s something that people will never forget. That’s something people will remember you for. No one’s going to remember what car you drove. No one cares. It’s important. It really made me realize what is important in life. That is, we should all be there for each other and help people out. If we can do that, it just makes the world a better place — and it makes me feel good inside, as well."

In his capacity as a breast cancer prevention advocate, Landesberg advises people to be proactive and go for early screenings. And when they can, help others out.

"Instead of people focusing on negativity, take that energy and focus on the positive and try to help people," he said. "I really believe in that. If you do that, I believe that you will be happier as a person."

For Landesberg, giving back has provided a sense of fulfillment and a purpose. His own story has already saved the lives of numerous people, including that of his own sister, he said. Since Landesberg has the BRCA gene, it means his siblings and children have a 50 percent chance of having it, as well, he said. Women with a BRCA gene have an 87 percent chance of developing breast cancer and a 44 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer, according to the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas.

"I urged and pretty much forced my sister to go for genetic testing and she was indeed positive for the BRCA 2 gene, just like me," Landesberg said.

His sister, who had been going for screening and checkups frequently, was diagnosed with stage zero breast cancer shortly after. She underwent a double mastectomy but was able to avoid chemotherapy. Landesberg said his sister's cancer could have gone unfounded if he did not urge her to get tested, and it would have eventually metastasized.

"I say this all the time: If my story touches one person or saves one person’s life, it’s all worth it. I think that’s really important. Being proactive and getting yourself checked out. To be a good person and realize what really is important in life. The truth is, one day, if you get diagnosed with cancer, everything you think is so important is not so important anymore. It really puts life in perspective."