A New Chapter for the Marcel’s Family March 15, 2023 by Jill Foucre 1 Comment Dear Friends, Customers, Partners and Supporters, These past 13 years have been an incredible time in Glen Ellyn and beyond. It was a leap of faith in the fall of 2010 to contemplate starting a new business in the post-recession world of closed storefronts and general uncertainty. But I had an idea that had been brewing for a few years so, in spite of it all, the time had come to start a new career as an entrepreneur and my hometown of Glen Ellyn was the perfect place to do that. I could not have been happier bringing my vision to life in 2011 with trusted partners, team members and the community and especially honoring my French chef grandfather, Marcel. The journey continued in 2015 with the opening of the jewel on the corner, Marché and then bringing our chefs to you with Maison in 2017. Watching our town embrace the real meaning of shop local was so gratifying and was an ethos that carried us through the challenging days of the pandemic. It made me proud to see what community involvement can do to invigorate our downtown and Village. So today it is both bittersweet and thrilling for me to announce that on June 1st, 2023 I am turning the reins of the Marcel’s family of businesses over to a fellow business owner and lover of all things beautiful and delicious, ready to add her dreams to the Marcel’s, Marché and Maison story. Renee DiSanto has been adding layers to her own evolving and creative career on a parallel course, based on the same premise: to cook, create and celebrate through life. She is one half of the immensely successful, award-winning style mavens of Park and Oak Interiors. And recently, they have brought their interior styling and merchandising panache to the brick-and-mortar store, Park and Oak Collected, around the corner on Pennsylvania Avenue. France is also in Renee’s blood, as her mother’s side hails from there and her great-grandfather was a French baker (as was mine!). She has ambitious plans to honor her families’ French roots throughout all of the businesses. Renee and I are putting our heads together for a smooth transition ensuring that what you have come to know and love about the Marcel’s family of brands is consistently exceeding your expectations. There will be many exciting new plans in store to continue to surprise and delight you, our favorite followers. And, I will be around to assist with the process for some time. So, the legacy continues and the stories layer with good friends, good food and good will within our close-knit community and beyond. Thank you for being a part of my journey and for extending the welcome to Renee that she so deserves. The Marcel’s legacy is in good hands. Jill Foucré
Happy Retirement to Chef Paul June 4, 2022 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment I first met Paul Lindemuth in the summer of 2011 when Kelly Sears introduced him as a potential member of our chef team at the soon-to-open Marcel’s Culinary Experience. At the time Paul was teaching in Hinsdale and also running his own very successful in home event business but he graciously took the time to listen to my pitch about what a great little business I thought this would be. Fortunately for me (and all of our future customers and staff) Paul decided to join our team. On October 6, 2011 he taught the very first class held in our kitchen – Spirited Entertaining. Since that time Paul has taught 331 classes, led 115 private events, and hosted 96 Maison events, inspiring a legion of devoted followers. That works out to about once a week over the last 10 years that Paul has been delighting our customers with his sublime food, impeccable service and exquisite attention to detail. And that doesn’t even count the innumerable times Paul has been a part of a chef team throwing a party for customers (who can forget that 5th Anniversary dinner?) or staff. When I decided it was time to stop saying “no” to the inquiries about doing in home events, Paul was the one I turned to to help start Maison. His experience with his own business was invaluable and he generously shared his knowledge and his resources to get this business going and it is clicking along 5 years later. In short, Paul has been a part of our fabric from the get-go and there isn’t a person who isn’t going to miss him. Paul’s retirement is well-earned and I wish him and Michael the very best as they take time to travel, enjoy amazing food and drink, be in the best climate for the season, and enjoy the fruits of their labors. I hope those travels still bring them to downtown Glen Ellyn but wherever they go, Paul will be a part of Marcel’s. Farewell, Chef Paul – thank you for sharing your talents with us.
Scone-o-licious by Teri Hiben May 10, 2022 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Are you looking for the perfect baked treat for your family and friends? Look no further than a delicious scone – crispy on the outside and tender and flaky inside. Scones are perfect for weekend breakfasts, to bring for brunch, or a welcome gift for new neighbors and close friends. They’re simple to make, use ingredients you have at home, and are a quick way to fill your home with appetizing aromas and tasty treats! Scones are versatile too. They can lean sweet with fresh or dried fruits: blueberries, cranberries, raisins, apples, lemons. Scones can highlight the warm spices of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, pepper. And they can be savory to accompany a salad or a cup of soup using a variety of cheeses, caramelized onions, flavorful seeds like caraway and cumin, or fresh herbs of the season. You’re only limited by your imagination. Here are a few tips for perfect scones every time: line your baking sheet with parchment to make clean up a breeze whisk dry ingredients together before adding any fruit, eggs, or butter your butter must be cold and in small pieces so cut it small and place it back in the refrigerator until needed or you can even freeze the butter and use the largest holes on your box grater to get those perfect pea-sized butter pieces use a light touch when mixing scones to keep them light and flaky you can mix and form scones ahead of time, place them on your sheet pan, tightly cover them with plastic wrap, and freeze or refrigerate until you’re ready to bake If you’re short on time, Marcel’s offers several scone mixes from Invisible Chef: Classic Creme and Ginger & Lemon. They are tasty, have great texture, and are super easy. And while you’re in the store, grab some American Spoon jam or a jar of lime or lemon curd to serve alongside your scones. By the way, you can come taste these when I bake them for a free demo on Tuesday, June 7 from 11am – 2pm. So, jump in and get baking! Soon, you’ll be an expert scone baker and your family and friends! Lemon Cream Scone 2022-05-10 17:13:12 Print Ingredients 3 cups flour 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt ¾ cup heavy cream, plus 3 tablespoons for egg wash 2 large eggs, and 1 more for egg wash 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla bean paste 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon paste Instructions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a food processor or large bowl, combine flour, butter, sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend in butter until mixture resembles a coarse meal. In a separate bowl, whisk together ¾ cup cream, 2 eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Add cream mixture to flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Turn onto a floured work surface and form into a flat disc, about 8” across for large scones; or form 2 discs about 4-5” across each for smaller scones. Cut each disc into 8 wedges and transfer to baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg and the 3 tablespoons cream to make an egg wash. Brush scones with the wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until tops or golden brown and firm, 20-25 min. Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/ Caraway Current Scones 2022-05-10 17:25:08 Yields 4 Print Ingredients 1 cup flour 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons sugar 2 ½ tablespoons cold butter, plus ½ tablespoon melted butter 6 tablespoons buttermilk 2 tablespoons dried currants ½ teaspoons crushed caraway seeds, toasted lightly Malden flake salt to taste Instructions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Into a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, slat, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Blend in cold butter with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal (or freeze the butter and grate into dry ingredients.) Stir in buttermilk, currants, and caraway seeds until mixture just forms a dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently and flatten into a 1 ½ inch thick disc. Cut dough into quarters and arrange on baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar and some Malden flaked salt. Bake approximately 15 min. or until pale golden. Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
For the Love of Cookbooks by Shannon Burgess April 5, 2022 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment A customer asked me recently, “how many people actually buy cookbooks these days?” They were curious why someone would spend money, and use up valuable counter and cabinet space, when an overwhelming number of recipes can now be accessed online for free. This got me thinking about why I continue to use cookbooks for most of the meals I prepare and why I continue to buy new cookbooks (despite having a rather large collection of them already). First and foremost, I am a lover of books, and cookbooks are no exception. I enjoy the sensory experience of holding a good cookbook in my hands and leafing through pages with beautifully printed photos and illustrations (yes, I am one of those people who “ooh and aah” over gorgeous cookbooks, as those who witnessed me looking through Mandy’s Gourmet Salads for the first time can attest). A good cookbook is more than just a collection of recipes – the combination of food, words and images tell a story about the authors who write them, and they provide a glimpse of the time and place they were written. Some provide a window into the culture and cuisine of a region, while others help you learn to become a better cook through tricks, techniques and notes about why things are done a certain way or in a certain order. Well-loved cookbooks are more than just recipes though – those that we use over time are rooted in nostalgia, and family memories and traditions are built from their pages. Every Christmas, I bring out the Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book that was my moms. It is essentially loose pages held together within the cover with a rubber band, but its mere presence on my counter brings back memories of making holiday sugar cutout cookies with her on snowy December Saturdays. In a similar way, the history of the everyday and favorite “special” meals and desserts I made as my own kids were growing up can be found in the cookbooks that line our kitchen counter. The most used and loved are well-worn, grease stained and tabbed with sticky notes to help me find the recipes quickly. The family meals made from them, again and again, have forged memories and traditions that continue to this day. After our kids went away to college and then moved out on their own, these are the recipes they yearn for and request when they come home to visit. For our family, these tastes of home mostly originated from my collection of Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. The meals we share from their pages rekindle memories and continue to make new ones, long past when bellies are full and dishes are done. Not every cookbook inspires this amount of nostalgia, of course. There are some cookbooks I keep and continue to use because they can be relied on for quick, easy recipes for weekday dinners. These contain the tried and true recipes that have become part of the regular rotation – meals made so many times that I only need to glance at the recipes to check details like cooking temperature. There are times though, when I fall into a cooking slump – tired of cooking the same things all the time and lacking the energy required to plan, shop for and prepare meals at home. And this brings me to why I still sometimes buy new cookbooks – I have found that nothing snaps me out of a cooking funk like a fantastic new cookbook. This week, I have found renewed inspiration to cook fresh and healthy meals at home in Tieghan Gerard’s new cookbook, Half Baked Harvest Every Day: Recipes for Balanced, Flexible, Feel-Good Meals. Last night I made the Lemon Harissa Chicken – it is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious and I’m looking forward to cooking my way through what is sure to be a new favorite. Wherever you are in your cooking journey, if you’re looking to try something new or breathe new life into your regular meal rotation, the windows and shelves at Marcel’s are full of new titles and staff favorites to energize and inspire your cooking.
Come Together by Denise Stano December 21, 2021 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment This season our gatherings are finally inching back to normal. We might be gathering in smaller numbers with masks and rapid tests, but it sure feels good to be celebrating together again. This is the time of year when the majority of us are celebrating something (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkha, Kwanzaa, Diwali). The traditions, history and customs behind each of our special holidays differ, but they do share a common thread in that we typically gather together with our family and friends to share fabulous food, conversation, fun and games, and always little bit of stress. We each hold memories of holiday gatherings with our favorite foods. My sister and I still talk about going to our Aunt Lucy’s house on Christmas Eve to gather with my dad’s large family. Aunt Lucy always had French Onion chip dip that she served with Ruffles potato chips. Her wonderful buffet of Northern Italian entrees, spinach ravioli in brodo, cheeses, panettone, and pizzeles was lost on my group of cousins. All we cared about and still fondly remember are the Ruffles, dip, bottomless cups of sherbet punch and Coca Cola we drank unmonitored while the adults played cards. I have expanded my palate with age and have given up the Ruffles, dip and soda. I now set aside a Sunday afternoon in December when my sons and I make the ravioli and pizzeles that I overlooked in my youth. Our dinner that night is always fresh pasta made with the excess dough…which my dog, Brooke, loves to sneak while we are cleaning up the kitchen! As you once again come together with your family and friends and prepare the recipes that say “Holiday” to you, the staff at Marcel’s is alway here to help guide you in the selection of just the right kitchen tool, baking pan, table decor or hostess gift. See you soon.