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Fall is definitely here – the leaves are changing, nights are cold and the bright colored summer flowers are replaced by the rich jewel tones of mums and cabbage. It is also the time of year that many of us fill our homes with fall decorations. My daughter has a November 1st birthday and when she was younger, my house was filled with Halloween decorations to help us get ready for Halloween themed birthday parties which were an annual event at our house. Witches, ghosts and jack-o-lanterns were in every room.

Now that she is older I may take out a few of our favorite ghouls, but I tend to decorate for the fall with pumpkins, gourds and prettier items. I love seeing the inside of my home reflect the colors and feel of the season.

When I started working at Marcels, I was fortunate to be introduced to one of my favorite things – Plush Pumpkins. These handmade, velvet pumpkins with real pumpkin and gourd stems are beautiful and make stunning displays on a tablescape or tucked in a corner of a shelf. The new Plush Pumpkins have arrived in the store and the colors are beautiful. Stop in to see them and all the other fall decorations we have – from whimsical Halloween items to beautiful Simon Pearce pumpkins. And don’t forget to take advantage of our Simon Pearce Gift With Purchase promotion (through November 16th). When you make a purchase of $225 or more in Simon Pearce glassware, we will give you a Small Twist Glass Pumpkin as our gift to you (while supplies last). How’s that for fall inspiration?!

Happy decorating!

For most families, birthday celebrations typically involve presents and cake for the guest of honor.  It is difficult to comprehend that prior to March 2020 and our COVID-19 quarantine, we actually encouraged the birthday person to BLOW directly onto the cake to make a wish.  What were we thinking???

My family loves cake as much as the next, but when it comes to our private birthday celebrations, ours will most likely involve a birthday pie. We have tried them all…fruit, cream, frozen, graham cracker crust, cookie crust, etc.,  etc.  A favorite at the moment is a Peach Blueberry that I recently made for my son’s 31st birthday. It was full of flavorful Michigan peaches and Michigan blueberries and a streusel topping of brown sugar, pecans and butter. How can you go wrong with that ingredient list? And because of all the yummy juices, it needs to be eaten quickly … so be sure to go back for seconds!

I have to confess that I am NOT an online shopper. I love to shop in person – see the merchandise displays, touch the fabrics, and talk with knowledgeable salespeople. But times have changed and COVID restrictions have changed shopping in person for many people.  My family has now been shopping online for things we never thought we would – from basic groceries to even a new car! Believe me, that never would have happened before 2020. 

Did you know that Marcels’ has a new online shopping experience? We have always sold cooking classes on our website but now we have added some of our wonderful products (cookware, electrics, tableware, glassware, home decor, gift boxes) for you to shop online too. You’ll find hundreds of items from the brands you love – Le Creuset, Swiss Diamond, Vitamix, Juliska, Simon Pearce and so many more! 

In addition to gift boxes for the holiday season, we are now offering excellent gift packages year round. Delight your friend or hostess with this “Girlfriend” Margarita gift set. Or treat someone with a gift set celebrating all things local with zip code stemless wine glasses and a Railroad Spike Bottle Opener from one of our favorite Glen Ellyn vendors, Muirwood Reclamations.  

We can ship anywhere in the continental US and we also have many customers who like to shop online and then pick up curbside – we will help you shop in whatever way you feel most comfortable.  

For your first ONLINE purchase, we’re offering a 10% discount coupon code (online10)* to be used on any one item or gift package. So sit back, relax, and shop any time of the day (no masks needed)! 

*valid on one regularly priced item 

Almost 30 years ago we moved from a charming adorable home to a house across the street with “potential” for the future.  It was a brown house, hidden by overgrown evergreens, smaller than our current home, but had a third bedroom that we needed for our family of 5, eventually becoming 6.

In November we walked all our belongings, one toddler and two babies across the street and into that brown house.  I wasn’t sure about all the “potential” or even about the house itself.

That winter we snuggled in our home and we lived without the amenities we had grown accustomed to. (The lack of air conditioning was probably the hardest adjustment, but we wouldn’t know that until summer!)  We cleaned and painted and made it our own.  We stayed warm and cozy all winter long, loving and appreciating the gentle warmth of radiator heat.

 Then came spring. I may not have loved this house at first, but the back yard- I LOVED it in all it’s blooming glory.  First came the snowdrops. The crocus, hellebores, trillium, and daffodils following soon after.  The backyard blooming continued until fall.  The rhubarb came with the lilacs and the peonies.  I was so excited to see the rhubarb.  The rhubarb came with all the potential.  What to make first?  A traditional strawberry-rhubarb pie or maybe something more adventurous?

Rhubarb to me is old fashioned. I believe it’s a Midwestern thing.  I nurtured and tended to my plant.  I protected it and finally moved it to the front yard.  It has a history with this house.  Those that lived here before us probably ate from that plant and shared it with their neighbors.

My family looks forward to eating rhubarb squares every summer (see recipe below).  I would share photos of them but sadly they were devoured before I was able to take that Instagram worthy photo.  This year I also made a Rhubarb liqueur and a Rhubarb Rosemary Jam to share at Christmas.  I love to preserve a bit of summer to give in winter.  Part remembrance of last summer and part anticipation of warmer weather to come.

We moved to this brown house for what it held for our future.  The move-in condition may not have felt perfect or ideal.  We lived a little crowded and limited for a few years.  Every spring the backyard unleashed it’s beauty and we enjoyed it.  The home now has more space, lots of love and memories, and air conditioning!  The yard continues to provide beauty, joy, and a bit of food for us and all the wildlife passing through. 

It may feel like right now we have all moved into the small brown house-it’s crowded, lacking amenities, and we’re not sure we like it. But oh when spring arrives, I look forward to the bounty of beauty that awaits us!

Well that was an interesting first half of the year! Holy smokes. The human capacity to adapt is kind of amazing but it sure has been tested!

I have learned a lot these past several months. And I have been reminded of things I knew but of which I perhaps haven’t had the right level of awareness recently.

A few observations, in no particular order.
1. We have a wonderful, dedicated, talented, resourceful team at both stores and in our kitchen.
2. Our customers are especially eager to support us and care deeply about whether we are here or not. So many gracious inquiries asking if we are ok.
3. Watching too many episodes of Ozark in a row is a hazard to my mental health. But I can’t stop.
4. There’s nothing like a crisis to make people pull together: our fellow business owners/leaders, the Village of Glen Ellyn, the Alliance of Downtown Glen Ellyn, the Glen Ellyn Chamber of Commerce – everyone has literally done everything they possibly can to help each other, find creative solutions, not get hung up on the rules and just generally be there for us.
5. Zoom was fun for about 10 minutes. But it did keep us connected.
6. We should have thought of Virtual Wine and Cheese Tastings years ago! And who knew we had the perfect host right in our midst?
7. Having a wonderful family is even more wonderful in times of stress.
8. My 80 year old dad (son of Marcel) made an excellent delivery driver.
9. Thank goodness for being able to be outdoors and for having some absolutely lovely weather this month.
10. While things are getting closer to being back to normal, it’s going to be awhile before we are all the way there.

Here’s what normal looks like for us right now:
• At both Marcel’s and Marché, we ask that you wear a mask and we will do the same. We’ve got capacity limits that aim to keep people spread out while in the stores. We have entrance and exit doors designated so people aren’t trying to push through the same door.
• We currently have no inside seating at Marché because, although it is permitted by the Phase 4 guidelines, there just isn’t enough room to have people seated and also have customers in the store.
• All food and drink served outside at Marché is in disposable containers so dirty dishes never come back into the store.
• Marché Party and All Occasion Boards are delivered either deconstructed or on non-returnable boards (for a small additional fee) so we aren’t exchanging the cherry wood boards back and forth.
• The most significant part of our business that has not been reopened is the Marcel’s kitchen. While we have had a handful of private events (and some in home events), our classes have been suspended since the middle of March. We are very excited to be resuming in person classes on Thursday, July 9th and we have a full slate of offerings on the calendar through September. You can check them all out here.
• A couple of things to know about the parameters for our classes for July and August (we will evaluate September as it gets closer);
 Everyone (students, chef, staff) will be required to wear a mask during class except when eating or drinking.
 Class size will be limited to 8 people per class (with a couple of exceptions for classes that already have registration that exceeds that number).
 Protocols will continue to be in place for food preparation and handling, dish and waste management, sanitation of frequently touched materials and surfaces, and customer interaction to keep everyone as safe as possible.

We hope we will see you back in our kitchen very, very soon. And if you want to put together an event just for your group, whether at your place or ours, just drop us a note at info@marcelsculinaryexperience.com.

We’ve still got a long road of recovery ahead of us but thanks to our team and our customers, we are going to be fine. I deeply appreciate every single person’s contribution to the ongoing success of Marcel’s, Marché, and Maison.