Marcel Desaulniers led a second revolution in Williamsburg, this one with volleys of skillfully crafted and impeccably presented dishes. When he opened The Trellis in 1980, Desaulniers grew from a name locals spoke about with reverence to a culinary sensation on an international stage.
He penned a dozen cookbooks, was a frequent guest on national television, hosted two series and won numerous awards, and counted legends such as Julia Child as a friend. Diners drove hours to sample his dishes at The Trellis.
Desaulniers, 78, died Tuesday in Williamsburg after a long illness.
The chef grew up in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, son to a FrenchCanadian widowed mother, who raised five other children.
He worked kitchen jobs in high school and later enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America. He graduated in 1965 and worked in New York City until he left to serve in Vietnam as a Marine. After his duty, he returned to work in New York, including at the swanky Pierre Hotel where he was a noted saucier.
In 1970, Desaulniers accepted a position as a manager of food production and quality control for Colonial Williamsburg.
“I learned and practiced a specific regional cuisine that has influenced me to this day,” Desaulniers said in the forward of the 2013 book “Dishing Up Virginia.”
He later partnered with friends John Curtis and Tom Power Sr., of The Cheese Shop fame, and opened The Trellis. He remained at the helm for 29 years.
The 200-plus seat restaurant in Merchants Square introduced many diners to Virginia cooking and renewed a centuries-old regional food style. He created soups garnished with Edwards salt-cured ham and entrées with quail grown locally and catfish caught from the James River.
Business casual clothes were the norm, and a menu showcased impressive dishes with approachable ingredients and methods. That translated to wine, too; The Trellis supported Virginia vineyards early on. The vine-wrapped trellis at the front of the restaurant included cuttings from the long-gone Meredyth Vineyards in Middleburg. Over the years, Desaulniers hosted a popular annual barrel-tasting dinner to showcase local food and wine.
Chef Sydney Meers, owner of Syd’s Fishpig Cafe in Norfolk, began his culinary journey with Desaulniers at The Trellis in the early ’80s.
“It was amazing what I saw, what I learned,” Meers said. “He kept things pretty simple, but the presentation was what made it.”
Desaulniers sold The Trellis in 2009 to Williamsburg chef and restauranteur David Everett. The Trellis closed in 2020 and Everett transformed it into a Northern Italian restaurant called La Piazza, which closed this year. Everett, who owns Blue Talon Bistro and DoG Street Pub in Williamsburg, was a fan of Desaulniers.
“He came in during the golden era of the American culinary movement and the things being done in other places, he brought it to this small town when there was nothing like it,” Everett said. “It was just phenomenal.”
Desaulniers opened MAD About Chocolate, a chocolate café with his wife, Connie, in 2012, and operated it until 2016. MAD was an acronym for Marcel Andres Desaulniers. For decades, Desaulniers was active with the Virginia Chef’s Association.
One sweet legacy Desaulniers leaves is the Death by Chocolate dessert; he always called it a dessert, not a cake. It was introduced on The Trellis’ menu in 1982 and was famous for taking three days to prepare. The restaurant, at its height, was selling 100 slices daily.
Inspired by a recipe in Gourmet magazine called Dying for Chocolate, Desaulniers and his pastry chef at the time, Donald Mack, created the dish, which weighed in at an astonishing 10 pounds. The dessert was a seven-layer showstopper — cocoa meringue, chocolate mousse, chocolate brownie, ganache, mocha mousse, mocha rum sauce and more. Desaulniers soon became known as the “Guru of Ganache.”
The recipe is shared in his 1992 cookbook, “Death by Chocolate,” which sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide.
Desaulniers zoomed to national fame. He received five James Beard Foundation awards, the highest honor in the industry, including Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America in 1984 and Best Chefs in 1993. Desaulniers was also named in the Honor Roll of American Chefs, Food & Wine Magazine and the restaurant garnered nods from Restaurant and Institutions Magazine.
His books included “The Trellis Cookbook,” “Salad Days,” “Burger Meisters” and “Grilling Maestros,” a companion to his public television series. He also appeared on shows, including “Baking with Julia” with his friend Child. Desaulniers also appeared on “Nathalie Dupree Cooks for Family and Friends” and the “Today” show.
Dupree, an award-winning cookbook author and culinary educator, first met Desaulniers in 1978.
“He was always interested in television and he was natural in that sense,” Dupree said in a phone interview from her North Carolina home. She became the first woman after Child to host more than 100 shows on public television.
“Marcel was charming, personable and experienced. He just walked onto the set and he was good at what he did. He was a major influencer.”
Desaulniers leaves his wife, a daughter, Danielle, and other family and friends. His son, Marc, predeceased him.
In honor of Desaulniers and World Chocolate Day, Cafe Stella Bistro in Norfolk, located at 1907 Colonial Ave., will feature Death by Chocolate July 7-9.
Patrick Evans-Hylton is the author of several books including “Dishing up Virginia,” and a longtime friend of Marcel Desaulniers. Reach him at Patrick@VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.com.
