David A. Barbere

David Barbere, 90, Bismarck, passed away on September 13, 2024.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 9:30AM, Tuesday September 17 at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, 519 Raymond St, Bismarck. Visitation will begin at 9:00AM.

Interment at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan at 11AM.

David Anthony Barbere was born on October 19, 1933, in Santa Barbara, CA, to Francis and Robert Barbere. He attended high school in Santa Barbara and after graduation, joined the Navy. He served for four years, part of that time on the Battleship Missouri and part on the USS Pritchett as a baker/cook. After his honorable discharge, he returned to Santa Barbara and worked with his father installing hardwood flooring. After a year, he moved to Orange County and returned to the food industry becoming a chef at the Orange County Hospital. While working at the hospital, he met his future wife Lupe who was working there as an assistant dietician. They married on October 24, 1955, in Orange County. They opened a catering business together to supplement their incomes but closed it when David was hired, at the renowned restaurant “Robert E. Lee” in Newport Beach as the sous-chef and later becoming their Executive Chef. Their son, Howard, was born in 1956.

Lupe became involved in politics working for various campaigns one of which brought her to South Dakota in 1965. They decided to "take a venture” and sold everything, moving to Dell Rapids, SD, where David took the Executive Chef position at the Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls. In 1966, Lupe moved on to another campaign, this time in Bismarck, ND and after five months, David joined Lupe and Howard, taking a position as a chef for the Holiday Inn. While there, he was named one of the National Top 10 Holiday Inn Food Managers. David’s career included time as chef for the Kirkwood Motor Inn before purchasing The Pepper Mill, renaming it David’s Fine Foods and relocated it to the Logan Building, named David’s on 3rd. After closing David’s Fine Foods, Lupe worked for the Catholic Diocese as the chef and together they did private catering. David was then asked to be the food and beverage coordinator in Medora for the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation.

After Lupe’s death in 2002, David took over working for Bishop Zipfel. He remained there until Bishop Zipfel’s retirement in 2012. He worked in the food industry starting at age 11 as a dishwasher and bus boy and continued in the industry until his retirement at age 78.

Besides being a renowned chef, David also became a well-respected artist. His landscape oil paintings were well appreciated, but his later works centered on wild life. He did numerous commissioned dog portraits for people from around the country. He continued to paint in his studio throughout the remainder of his life.

Surviving family include his son, Howard; two brothers and one sister, all residing in California; two grandsons, Michael and Steven and four great-grandchildren, Atlanta, Cole, Gabriel and Alia.

He was predeceased by his wife Lupe; his parents; one brother; a sister-in-law.