How Michele Val Jean Honors Her Mom From Beyond the Gates
On Beyond the Gates, Orphey Gene’s Soul Kitchen is the heart of the show, but for Michele Val Jean, it’s much more than that.
Orphey Gene’s Soul Kitchen on Beyond the Gates
Beyond the Gates showrunner and head writer Michele Val Jean knows Fairmont Crest better than anyone. Being the creator of the show, she was able to add her own personal nuances into the beautifully crafted sudser that made history and grabbed a whole new fan base overnight.
Viewers tuned in by the masses to get to know the residents of the “leafy Maryland neighborhood” that was indeed set beyond the gates. And while doing so, they got to venture in and out of neighborhood mansions, visit local eateries, and spend some time at various businesses, from the police station to a law office to the back room of a casino.
One such business is known as Orphey Gene’s Soul Kitchen. It’s a local diner that holds a lot of history and memories for many of Fairmont Crest’s main families. From the Duprees shutting it down for a private dinner and dance, to the Hawthorne brothers, Jacob (Jibre Hordges) and Izaiah (David Lami Friebe), recalling how their parents went there every week and sat at the same table, Orphey Gene’s is something special.
Michele Val Jean has posted several tributes to her late mother on her X account this year. “The real Orphey Gene when she was a teen,” she revealed in March, along with a photo.
In May, Val Jean honored her mom with another message on Mother’s Day, and reminded viewers of the reason the diner got its name. “Sending up Mothers Day love to the woman who made me, Orphey Gene Val Jean. Mommy, who would have ever thought so many would speak your name because it’s the diner they frequent on the soap I created. You would love it and I wish you were here to see. Miss you all the days,” she wrote.
X user kathep responded, “So beautiful! And now I know why the name Orphey Gene’s! What a cool tribute!” Elaine Tugman added, “Wow! I didn’t know this about the diner’s name. Love this so much!”
Today, Val Jean shared two more photos. “I miss you but you live on,” she wrote. It’s a touching memory in a simple post, but the connection to the show, and having her mother’s name spoken by complete strangers around the world, is possibly the most heartwarming fact that true BTG fans will cherish knowing for years to come.
