Interview with Marilyn Schlossbach

Marilyn Schlossbach is an executive chef and restaurateur. She is an environmentalist, community activist, traveler, surfer, and mom who is on a continual quest for culture and knowledge and shares her passion for the road less traveled with her patrons and community. Wendy and I are big fans of Marilyn and have been going to her restaurants for years. We were fortunate to be in an entrepreneurial networking group with her a few years ago where we got to know her a little more personally and soon after asked her to contribute to our cookbook: nourish a community supported cookbook. The recipes she contributed are Green Machine Smoothie, Cuban Grilled Corn, and Aloha Chocolate Mousse. Knowing Marilyn had her hands in a lot of pots (pun intended), we wanted to interview her to hear about her work and her philanthropy. We discuss how she is such a great example of following one’s passions to create a career that allows her to continue her love of food, travel, and community advocacy. She talks about the challenges along the way and how she, somehow, makes it work. We get the behind the scenes stories on the origins of some of her restaurants. Of her work outsider her restaurants, Marilyn’s Kula Café collaboration is discussed. From the Kula website: This community café is a social enterprise which offers a training program that addresses high unemployment and the mismatched training and employment opportunity in the Asbury Park area. The hands-on, paid training program is designed to develop readily transferrable skills for application in the hospitality industry. Training and skills development will take place in a working eatery, giving neighbors the opportunity to help participants learn marketable skills while enjoying good food at a fair price. She is also involved with Merrick Farm, the first certified organic farm in Monmouth County that needed help in getting back into the game. Yet another philanthropic venture of Marilyn’s, Food for Thought by the Sea, is a non-profit organization providing local youth and adolescents with an opportunity to learn about the hospitality and the culinary industry. They do this with educational initiatives that support the environment and its local purveyors with affordable meals in their give-back food programs. Her partnerships with these ventures are with: Mary's Place Boys and Girls Club Interfaith Neighbors Need to Feed Program Covenant House is coming to Asbury park and partnering with Interfaith Neighbors to help homeless youth by coming up with a retreat house for young males and are building a center for this purpose. They’ve asked Marilyn and Joe Leone to help them raise money and awareness for this project by hosting a sleep out on the boardwalk for three days the second week of May. Marilyn’s restaurants: Labrador Lounge in Normandy Langosta Lounge, Asbury Park Yacht Club Pop’s Garage Russell & Bette’s (formally What’s Your Beef) And, of course, Catering by Marilyn