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Cookbook author and television personality James Beard was a staunch champion of American cuisine who mentored generations of professional chefs and food enthusiast. His legacy lives on through his writings and a Foundation that annually honors the culinary arts.

The James Beard Foundation’s mission is to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone, is the definitive message from the website. Today, a James Beard Award is a coveted accolade, recognizing the best and most innovative in a variety of categories.

In the running for a James Beard 2018 Outstanding Restaurateur Award is the Jersey Shore’s own Marilyn Schlossbach.

“For me it’s about being more than a chef,” Schlossbach said. “It’s a community effort, it’s women empowerment, it’s all the tentacles of my company.”

The Belmar native runs four restaurants from Rumson to Normandy Beach, offering everything from vacation inspired cuisine to Mexican and French-American bistro fare. At those venues, and beyond, Schlossbach is known for mentoring chefs and other hospitality industry employees.

At Asbury Park Yacht Club on the Asbury Park Boardwalk she offers a relaxed beach bar/music venue, and there is her catering venture – Catering by Marilyn. Also on the AP Boardwalk, is her Lightly Salted surf shop and art gallery.

Schlossbach is a staunch environmental advocate, who has organized an array of fundraising events and benefits. She is also a community volunteer who helped organize a farmer’s market, sat on the City’s Arts Committee, and helped form Kula Cafe – a paid on the job hospitality training program administered by Interfaith Neighbors. And then there are the free community meals, which serve over 1,000 on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. 

And now, Schlossbach will add cookbook author to her catalog. Years in the making, Feed This Community is a defining offering of recipes that reflects the culmination of her passions – food, environmental preservation, and community.

“It’s a collaboration with different chefs that have worked with me and there are some family recipes of employees and friends, cocktails that were developed by different employees, favorite wines and beers,” Schlossbach said. 

Due to be published next month, Feed This Community is dedicated to a host of local and global charities, with its 11 chapters inspired by a nonprofit’s defining mission. For example, in spotlighting Interfaith Neighbors’ Kula Cafe, Schlossbach has garnered an array of farm to table recipes.

“They are all organizations that I’ve been really closely involved with or work with as a community connection,” Schlossbach said. “They all have a specific meaning to me and my life and service.”

A portion of the cookbook sales will be donated to the featured organizations, which also includes Fulfill, Mary’s Place At The Sea, Community Affairs & Resource Center, Surfrider Foundation, Clean Ocean Action, Waves For Water, The Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County, The Center, AP Music Foundation, and Purr n Pooch.

“If I get the James Beard Award, I’ll be able to put it on the cookbook,” Schlossbach said. 

To support Schlossbach’s nomination in 2018 Restaurant and Chef Awards for Outstanding Restaurateur, click here. An example of the screen inputs are at right, [click on image to enlarge].

For more about Schlossbach and her ventures, click here.

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