Press Coverage Danish Philanthropist Giving Back to Community. Delray Times - Wednesday, April 23, 2003 by Raquel Muhar, Times Staff Writer:

Jorgen Moller, owner of Out of Denmark in Delray Beach, is dedicated to making family his number one priority. His family, however, includes his loved ones, his customers and the community.

And throughout the roller coaster ride he calls his life, it has been these three elements that have kept him going for so many years. "That's the way to make it in this world," Moller said.

Moller's philosophy is to embrace his customers like his own kin. He has 15,000 names of patrons in a database, which he uses to mail out birthday and anniversary cards on a regular basis.

Moller's other priority besides his customers is his commitment to giving back to the community - a characteristic that stems from his Danish roots and one that has evolved through many life experiences.

"Being a giving person helps you survive in good and bad times. That's the person he is and I'm proud of him, " said Moller's son, Christian, executive chef of Out of Denmark.

Moller has been in the restaurant business most of his life, always dreaming of becoming a chef despite serious reservations from his parents. "Back then, being a chef was not considered a worthy profession. It was like wanting to be a garbage collector," Moller said.

At the age of 15, he made his way over from Copenhagen, Denmark, to Chicago with only $50 and a pair of shoes to work in a cousin's upscale restaurant. He quickly moved up through the ranks and became one of the nation's youngest chefs at age 22.

In the late '60s, Moller was the executive chef at the Friar's Club in Beverly Hills. He says it was one the best times of his life. It was at the Friar's Club where he learned valuable life lessons from the likes of Milton Berle, Peter Lawford, Johnny Carson and Don Rickles. "They took me in as one of their own and made me feel like part of their family," Moller said.

He also picked up a savvy business sense and an altruistic spirit. The rich and famous of Hollywood demonstrated to Moller "the importance of fundraising and using your chosen profession for charitable causes."

His first fund-raising function came when they put him in charge of gathering the club's members together to raise millions of dollars for Israel in 1967 during the six-day war.

Since then, Moller and his family have donated their restaurants, 100 percent free of charge, to help raise money for charity. He estimates they've raised more than $2 million.

Groups such as the Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options (JAFCO), Hadassah Professional Women's Council and the Papanicolaou Corps for Cancer Research, among others, have benefited from his generosity.

Moller provides his staff and elaborate Danish delicacies for free while the organizations get to keep all the money they charge their guests to attend. And each year that goes by, the groups are encouraged to go above last year's quota.

"Jorgen and his family are extraordinary people. They give from their heart and never say no, and even though they aren't Jewish they give back so much to the (Jewish) community," events coordinator for JAFCO Jamie Wanland said.

Moller has a special bond with many in the Jewish community, He says his type of food offers many dishes that are appealing to Jewish clientele, such as gravlax, also known as smoked salmon, and brisket of beef.

Many of them remember him when he ran the popular Prince Hamlet restaurant in Miami in the '70s and '80s and continue to visit now that he has moved to Palm Beach County.

There is another connection, however, between the South Florida Jewish community and the Mollers. In 1943 in Copenhagen, during World War II, Moller's parents helped the Danish underground save more than 7,000 Jews by providing a hideout in the basement of their home.

Fleeing Nazi persecution, the Jews were moved from house to house until they could be smuggled safely aboard fishing vessels that would transport them to neutral Sweden. For his family's efforts, Molller and his brother were honored by the B`nai B`rith Simcha-Aventura chapter in Dade County in 1985.

Now, for the past 10 years, the cordial Danish immigrant serves Scandinavian Cuisine at his quaint restaurant with his wife, Monica, son, Christian, and daughter-in-law, Karin.

The family has made their mark in the area, and so many are grateful. "The greatest joy of having a restaurant is being able to be close to friends and family and being able to help others. You can't just be a taker in life. You have to give, and the more we've given the more we feel like we're a part of the community," Moller said.