#026: Marilyn Schlossbach: Creating a Culture of Happiness in Restaurants
- September 5, 2017
Marilyn Schlossbach
Smile, and be happy. It sounds like a simple mission to live by, but the life of Marilyn Schlossbach is anything but simple…and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Today, I raise a glass to Marilyn, owner of a diverse fleet of restaurants on the Jersey Shore, self-taught chef, and passionate philanthropist with a heart for her community. Since entering into restaurants, Marilyn has never stopped searching for new experiences, new flavors, and new ways to serve the people around her. From Japanese-French fusion to surf shacks to farm-to-table bistros, Marilyn has tried a bit of it all.
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“In our business, we have a lot of characters. That’s what we want!” – Marilyn Schlossbach
This week, take a slice out of Marilyn Schlossbach’s happiness pie and start thinking about the food you eat and the company you keep in an entirely new way. I was so excited to even begin to brush the surface of Marilyn’s amazing journey, and I know that you won’t want to stop once you begin either. We talk everything from making it in the crazy world of restaurants, digging up soil, and tasting new foods, and the inspiration we can draw from nature. Marilyn is a one-of-a-kind lady, and I can’t wait for you to meet her.
Also in this episode:
- Creating a culture of happiness in the restaurant business.
- Each of Marilyn’s restaurants has a completely different cuisine and atmosphere.
- Being on a mission to develop self-confidence, with none of the sneaky guilt.
- Living presently in the midst of a lot of chaos.
- Overcoming the challenges of having ideas to start projects, and then finding the people to see them through.
- Prioritizing community outreach and farm-to-table…before it was trendy!
- The next step in local agriculture, plus discovering new delicious things that grow.
- See how a food truck is making a difference.
- Taking inspiration from mom and dad.
Find Marilyn Online
https://marilynschlossbach.com/
Look out for Marilyn’s Cookbook!
Feed this Community
Marilyn’s Non-Profit Group
Food For Thought The mission to support and nourish its community through the culinary arts.
Awards and Recognitions
Marilyn Schlossbach Awards and Recognitions Carousel Award, Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce, 2008
Monmouth-Ocean Development Council – Silver Gull Award for Community Service, 2010
Clara Barton Humanitarian Award for Monmouth County, The American Red Cross Jersey Coast Chapter, 2010
Gold Plate Award from the New Jersey Restaurant Association, 2010
Asbury Park High School, Distinguished Alumni Award, 2010
Michael Brimm Humanitarian Award, Asbury Park Mayor’s Ball, 2012
Edible Jersey Local Hero Award Winner, 2013
Glamour & Tommy Hilfiger Woman of the Year NJ Award Winner, 2013
New Jersey 50 Best Women in Business, NJBiz Magazine,
2014 Athena Award Nominee, ATHENA Award Program,
2014 New Jersey Monthly Leading Women Entrepreneurs Making a DifferenceAward, 2014
The Bio of Marilyn Schlossbach
Marilyn Schlossbach was thrust into the culinary world by chance. The self-taught chef and entrepreneur went from marketing student, to waitress, to the chef du cuisine of Oshin, one of New Jersey’s first Asian Fusion restaurants to open in the 1980s, in what many would consider a blink of an eye.
She has not looked back since first stepping “behind the line” in 1982 to cover for her brother and head chef at Oshin, spending the last 30-plus years developing her culinary style through travel, self-instruction and an unwavering passion for gastronomy. During the last three decades, Marilyn has developed her own unique brand of cuisine that takes foodies on a round-the-world journey to some of the globe’s most sought-after culinary destinations, simultaneously spotlighting local, sustainably sourced ingredients that pay homage to local purveyors and producers, as well as seasonal ingredients.
After years spent honing her craft, Marilyn is now the proprietor of six food and beverage establishments along the New Jersey coast and is an avid community advocate, endeavoring to promote the culinary arts among the next generation of service industry professionals through her non-profit organization Food for Thought by the Sea and her Community Food Wagon Project. Her community work includes a collaboration with Interfaith Neighbors on Asbury Park’s Kula Café, community gardening and surf lessons with the Boys and Girls Club of Asbury Park, and unwavering support of environmental organizations like Clean Ocean Action that work to protect coastlines and marine environments. In addition, Marilyn is an executive board member of the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association. She also sits on the board of the newly launched College Achieve Greater Asbury Park Charter School in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
When she is not in one of her successful venues or conducting the community outreach for which she is known, Marilyn is spending time with her twin girls, Hari Mar and Rubi Dee, and husband Scott Szegeski, relishing life at the Jersey Shore and traveling for continued inspiration.
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I love the world of food and beverage, everything about it, it’s soo damn sexy! Every time we eat and drink it ignites us sensually…the look, texture, taste, smell, sound all in a unique combination, encapsulating a moment in time. The act of sharing a meal with friends, chatting, eating, and drinking together is so forking perfect. It is a feeling that echoes a sense that All Is Good! Very, Very good!
