Theresa Marie Vorell

TERRI’S STORY

Terri quietly slipped away on February 22, 2023. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, she grew up in a wonderful family with her Mom, 2 brothers and 12 aunts and uncles who loved her dearly.

After graduating from West High School, she attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and secured a job as an art editor at American Greetings Card Company. In those times, women were not advanced into management positions so she left for Chicago looking for more opportunities. Being a very dynamic person who followed her dreams and realized them, she started her own greeting company, Mark One.

Summer vacations were spent on Cape Cod in Provincetown. She became friends with Lil Holway, who was responsible for initiating the next chapter in Terri’s life. Lil called her and said the Matta family was retiring from their store, Matta’s Five and Dime and selling the building. Terri bought it and within 2 weeks the wiring and plumbing inspectors condemned the structure. So she spent 2 years renovating the property while she worked in Chicago. Eventually she moved to Provincetown full time and opened Vorellis Restaurant.

Her artistic talent for painting and sculpting extended to the area of cooking with roots from a Russian back- round of authentic recipes for stuffed cabbage and peppers, which her friends and employees benefited from over the years. To improve her cooking skills, she attended the Culinary Institute of America’s west coast school at Greystone in Napa Valley in 1997 to study Seasonal Bistro Cuisine with Chef and Instructor Henri Patey. As a student at the school, she was given special treatment to get a reservation to dine at The French Laundry and have a tour of the kitchen with Thomas Keller, a once in a lifetime event.

In the off season, when the restaurant was closed, she enjoyed traveling to Hawaii and the Caribbean for snorkeling and scuba diving, Mexico, Greece and Italy with the highlight of that trip meeting Pope John Paul II and shaking his hand. His picture hangs behind the bar till today.

Described as a force of nature, she always took good care of her “restaurant family” and her friends and family are heartbroken to lose her.

The family wishes to thank the Provincetown Police Department, Provincetown Fire-Rescue and Lower Cape Ambulance for their care, assistance and compassion for Terri. If desired, donations may be sent to: Provincetown Police Association at 26 Shank Painter Road Provincetown, Provincetown Rescue Squad PO Box 109 Provincetown or Lower Cape Ambulance Association PO Box 1721, Provincetown MA 02657.

Terri was truly a “one of a kind” and remember her with a caring deed for someone in need.