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| Marcel ~ Le Chocolatier |
In my life experiences, I find every once in a while, rarely, you come across someone who is at once talented, amusing, entrepreneurial, and a person you enjoy being around. Somebody in the food industry one time told me that I am infatuated with the food industry. I believe that's true.
Equally, I was infatuated with the Executive Chef/Owner of The Trellis restaurant, Marcel Desaulniers. I think of Marcel as being from the town that I like to say I hail from, Williamsburg, Virginia, where he resided for many years as he honed his craft. I always thought of him as a French Canadian or a Frenchman. But his biography tells more about him. He was very proud to be a Marine. He told me his nickname in the U. S. Marine Corp was "Frenchie", and he was quite proud of that.
If you read the bio of Marcel, and he has a lot of them going around since his passing – the New York Times, the Internet, probably Food and Wine magazine, to name a few - you learn of his career, his wife and family, the U. S. Marine Corp, his books, TV cooking programs, oh, and that famous “Death By Chocolate” dessert.
Residing in the same town as he, along with his wife, Connie, I was able to witness his greater than life expansion on the TV with The Julia. His persona was always understated, whether in person at his restaurant or at parties with him. Through his TV series, he educated my girlfriend and me about many cooking techniques, for example, not overcooking string beans! Maybe I should go into that a little bit more, as he was quite emphatic about it.
Marcel was an author and very talented one, with a sophisticated taste in the design of the menu, the bar, and of his foods. Clearly, the “Death by Chocolate” cake exemplified his sophistication. If you haven't experienced his Death By Chocolate cake, then it's hard to describe what I'm talking about. At a cocktail party the other day, we were talking about it, and someone said that it was so huge, she needed to share it with the rest of her table. It was absolutely delicious! And quite a masterpiece! As the New York Times described, people would stop talking and gawk when a waiter would walk across the dining room floor with a slice of the Death By Chocolate cake.
Marcel was a very hospitable man and the epitome of hospitality. It seems to me it's likely he got that from his mother, of whom he seemed to be very proud. In our conversations from time to time, the mention of her name would be spoken fondly. Following a party one night, the next morning I looked up and there was Marcel walking down the pathway with a couple of books under his arm. I had mentioned to him the night before that we had taken a cookbook of his to the French guide that we hired for a visit to Verdun, France. She was much pleased to have this treasure. Unknown to me, he had some books translated into French, which he brought for my next trip to France to give out as gifts. Who does that? What kind of man is so thoughtful? And remember, I mentioned he is a Marine. Not just a Marine, but a Marine who served in Vietnam. If I recall correctly, one time he talked to me about firing from the opening of a Huey helicopter. A man's man. Someone who let it known quietly, "yes, I'm carrying". You gotta know what that means.
I came to know a few of the staff who worked with Marcel both in the back of the house and the front of the house. Marcel was verifiably much loved and admired for what he taught these young people, some of whom were at the College of William & Mary. Those skills they brought with them later in life. He seemed to attract people with similar tastes as his – friendly, hospitable, hard-working, and skilled. The one name that comes to mind is Stephanie, who worked at the bar. (I still have the bar ticket where she went to the length to not use the table number, but said "Dino". That's the kind of professional that you want to have in your establishment, who goes to the length to recognize the customer.) Stephanie exemplified the quality and character of the people who Marcel brought with him in life.
So, I hope I'm doing honor to him in speaking of all of his talents, not just his epic. Which is most well-known.
I know I mentioned the Trellis, but did I mention MAD About Chocolate? Exquisite little patisserie café. It was artistically designed by Connie and Marcel from floor to ceiling, tables and banquette customized ~ even the toilette artistically designed. They opened it together, and it was very successful. He in the back of the house, supported by some fine staff and she, winsome in the front of the house – polished, exquisite in her taste in clothing and her personality and her greetings to you. She made you feel that you were the only one in the cafe’ when she greeted you. That experience was quite an event. Hosted just a few blocks from the original Trellis. Mais oui, Connie was the artist/designer at “MAD”.
I had the opportunity to speak with Dave Everett about his granting a pass to Marcel and Connie for their MAD café. He just smiled and said thanks. There's a certain honor between professionals in the restaurant world. And I'm sure that it was out of respect for Marcel’s talents and skills that Executive Chef Dave was encouraging in this new venture for Marcel and Connie.
αιώνια του η μνήμη - may his memory live forever.
An Orthodox religious praise for someone deceased.
Constantine
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