Gentlemen, light your ranges ...
All-male cooking club combines friendship and the culinary arts
BY KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer

SCOTT PILLING staff Eric Eisenbud, president of Les Marmitons of New Jersey, a men's international culinary and social club, welcomes the members and gets their "wild game" dinner event started at the Don Bosco Knights of Columbus in Port Reading.

WOODBRIDGE - It was all about good food, good friends, and on this particular night, some good American beer.

Les Marmitons of New Jersey, which formed 15 years ago, conducted their first dinner event of the 2007 year with the theme "wild game" at the Don Bosco Knights of Columbus in Port Reading on Jan. 9.

The group invites a professional chef to create a four-course meal at each of the eight events that the group holds throughout the year. Chef Jim Langille of the Purple Eggplant in Abington, Mass., returned for another night of food and drink.

"I would say it took me a couple of hours to form the menu for tonight," said Langille. "Eric Alsager [who was the team's group leader for the night] and I conversed back and forth on the phone. For example, we decided that the beer was a good match for the wild game event rather than the wine."

SCOTT PILLING staff Freehold Borough's Eric Alsager helps cut onions in preparation of one of the four courses at the Don Bosco Knights of Columbus in Port Reading.

As members arrived, they received a poker chip that told them what course they would be working on. The number of members to a team depended on the difficulty of the courses.

The first course included a Hearty Bison Soup served with Brooklyn Brown Ale from Brooklyn, N.Y.

The second course included Cajun Fried Quail Caesar Salad with Jalapeno Bread Sticks served with Victory Hop Devil IPA from Downington, Pa.

The third course included Wild Boar Chops in Mustard Cream Sauce, Garlic and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans with Walnuts and Cranberry Cheese served with Allagash Dubbel Ale from Portland, Maine.

The fourth course included Molten Chocolate Cake dessert served with Rogue Chocolate Stout from Salem, Ore.

"The Rouge Brewing Company in Newport, Oregon, were kind enough to donate a case of beer when they heard we were doing this event," said Alsager.

In June, the chapters have their annual international event.

"Next year we will be hosting the event," said Eric Eisenbud, who has been president of Les Marmitons of New Jersey for two years. "We will hold it in Summit, where we invite our wives. There will be a wine and cheese gala and other activities."

Les Marmitons of New Jersey, which consists of 26 members who range in age from 21 and up, meet once a month.

"We eat well and make good friendships through cooking," said Eisenbud.

Hence the club's motto: "From Friendship to Gastronomy."

"None of the members are professional chefs," said Efrain Raices, vice president and treasurer of the club. "Probably Eric [Eisenbud] is the closest to a professional chef because he went to culinary school. We're just a bunch of guys who love food and friends. It's almost like an 'Iron Chef' show."

Les Marmitons is an international culinary and social club of gentlemen who share a common interest in the preparation and understanding of fine food, wine and culinary arts. The word "marmiton" derives from the French for kitchen boy, or chef's helper.

There are four chapters in the United States, which include the one in Woodbridge and Cranford and two chapters in Atlanta, Ga.

The first North American Chapter of Les Marmitons was established in Montreal in 1977. The interest in learning more about fine cuisine has led to the founding of clubs in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Quebec City, Niagara Falls and Atlanta.

"The man who was instrumental in forming the chapters in New Jersey was J.P. Jobin," said Eisenbud. "Wherever he traveled, he formed the chapters."

Many of the members joined after hearing about the chapter through the media.

"Al Roker attended a meeting and did a segment on the chapter for his show about three-and-a-half years ago," said Raices. "I remember it was late and I was flipping through channels and I saw the segment. I said this is perfect for me because I love cooking, but I wasn't looking to become a professional chef. That's when I joined."

The group has had David Drake, who owns the prominent five-star restaurant David Drake in Rahway, as a guest chef and also chefs from The Frog and the Peach restaurant in New Brunswick.

The men said one of the most challenging menus that they had to work on was when David Drake was their guest chef.

"He introduced us to an advanced menu of high-end cooking," said Eisenbud. "It's not just about making spaghetti and meatballs, we learned a lot. The events are for fun, but we do have to work."

Eisenbud said since he became president, he has seen the members' skill level skyrocket.

"We learn a lot from each other and look out for each other," he said. "Also, we make our wives happy because we take recipes home to try."

The group includes men from all walks of life - lawyers, controllers, chiropractors and teachers.

"We're a diverse group who are passionate about cooking," said Raices.

Les Marmitons of New Jersey found their new home in Port Reading last summer.

"We hope we can stay here," said Eisenbud. "It's a great place to do our events."

For more information on Les Marmitons of New Jersey, visit www.lesmarmitons.org.

If anyone is interested in joining the group, e-mail Eric Eisenbud at eric@amazinghotdog.com or Efrain Raices at eraices@yahoo.com.