Club History
Les Marmitons is a men's cooking club. The word "marmiton" is French and means a kitchen boy, or chef's helper. The organization has its roots in Europe and was introduced into North America over forty years ago by Swiss businessmen. The first North American Chapter of Les Marmitons was established in Montreal in 1977. The Ottawa-Gatineau chapter is one of the oldest, established in 1983. Les Marmitons of Ottawa-Gatineau has about 60 members. Culinary skills range from basic to very advanced. What the members have in common is an interest in fine food, wine and the culinary arts.
A Les Marmitons Event
We generally get together at the Parkdale Food Centre to cook on a Monday (typically), Tuesday or Wednesday evening once a month. Most events are led by a guest chef. We work with many of the chefs from the local Ottawa-Gatineau restaurants that you know and love, TV chefs, Michelin star chefs, and even one Iron Chef.
A typical event will have 30 members in the kitchen preparing and serving the meal under the direction of a guest chef. A typical menu is five courses with matching wines. Each member is assigned to a team that is responsible for preparing, plating, and serving their assigned course.
Registration for events opens around three weeks before the event. We usually accommodate 30 people at an event. Guests are welcome and we always reserve a couple of spots just for guests. If you attend a couple of times and decide that you enjoy cooking with us you can become a member. If you are interested in attending contact us.
Chef's Role
The Chef is not compensated for the event. He or she creates the menu and accompanying recipes for the event. Club members are responsible for creating a shopping list and purchasing all food and wine for the event. The chef may bring specialty items if he or she so desires (all food costs are fully reimbursed).
At the beginning of the meeting the chef gives a high‐level description of the menu, highlighting areas that may be critical in terms of timing or preparation technique. In the kitchen, the chef provides guidance to each team as required. The chef is not responsible for preparing the food – the teams do the preparation, plating, and serving. During the meal the chef will normally offer opinion on the dishes, highlighting how each dish turned out in comparison to what was intended.