The Crowd

B.W. Cook

A group of men and women dedicated to the dining experience -- the

baillage of Newport Beach, Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs -- held

its induction ceremony and lavish millennium dinner at a formal ceremony

in the ballroom of The Balboa Bay Club.

The Bay Club’s president, Henry Schielein, who serves as the Far West

Bailli provincial commandeur of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, welcomed the

new members to the gastronomic high court.

Les inductees et elevees include Linda Hughes, Lawrence Higby, Gilbert

LeVasseur, Martin Klein III and Thomas Riach. In addition, a special

medal of distinction was bestowed upon Ralph Gabai. The dinner ceremony

was hosted by William Mathews, Newport Beach philanthropist and

physician, and his elegant wife, Irene.

Mathews also serves as an officer of the Newport Beach bailli of the

organization, holding the title vice chargee de press. For those not

familiar with the Chaine des Rotisseurs and all of the verbiage

associated with the club and its purpose, here’s a very brief

introduction and explanation: First, a bailli or baillage is simply a

district or division, defining the French word. In 1248, under the reign

of St. Louis, king of France, a royal guild of Oyers Rotisseurs was

established. This was an organization of executive chefs, or masters, as

they were called, who roasted the king’s geese. Later, the skill

translated and expanded to encompass the roasting of all kinds of meat

and fowl.

It was in fact the beginning of a guild that would oversee wage and work

standards, and other areas of culinary practice, all under royal

patronage.

The Chaine des Rotisseurs would flourish in Europe through war and

political change for some 600 years until the time of the French

Revolution. Louis XIV would declare freedom from all work laws in an

attempt to halt the coming tide of change. His efforts failed. The

revolution changed France and the rest of the Western world, including

the United States, and the Chaine dissolved and disappeared.

Fast forward some 160 years to 1950, when Europe was rebuilding following

World War II. As is well-noted, food was in short supply in the

gastronomic capital of Europe: Paris. For that matter, the people of the

rest of the continent were not eating so well, either.

To restore the grand pride of the French in culinary excellence, and as a

sign to the world that the ravages and shortages of war would be overcome

and a new standard of excellence established, a group of Frenchmen,

including Jean Valby, considered the grand chancelier of the

organization, recreated the Chaine des Rotisseurs.

Today, a half-century later, the Chaine has baillages around the world.

In the United States, Burton Hobson, a close friend of Schielein, serves

as the bailli delegue des Etats Unis, or the president of the national

conference.

Here in Newport Beach, in addition to Schielein and Mathews, Dan Abbott,

Darrel Anderson, Ralph Gabai, Robert Little, Irene Mathews and David

Smith serve the local chapter board with energy and honor.

Local members include Dick Allen, Robert Burns, Leslie Cotton, Bill

Conlin, Elaine Martin, Elaine Martin, Linda Lund, Jerry Harrington and

Gayle Widyolar, to name a small sample.

What is special about this organization is the camaraderie shared by the

members who gather under formal social calling to sample all sorts of

culinary work by the full range of chefs and kitchen crews in America and

around the world. More important, the experience may be the last

civilized vestige of communication and friendship shared over a meal

where good manners and old traditions mix with new values and ideas and

old friends.

This dining club was once reserved for those in the industry, so to

speak. And today, it is still largely organized by professionals in the

restaurant, hotel and hospitality business. More and more, however, new

members tend to come from all walks of life, as evidenced by the

induction of locals in the Newport chapter. Tom Riach is a developer.

Lawrence Higby is a high-level financial executive. Gilbert LeVasseur is

an investor and entrepreneur.

With great pomp and circumstance, these individuals were knighted into

the organization. An oath of allegiance was cited, then a sword ceremony

and a kiss sealed the brotherhood. Applause came from the crowd, which

sipped fine champagne in advance of the dinner of the century in Newport

Beach.

In honor of the millennium and as a tribute to the well-known chef of the

19th century, Auguste Escoffier, Schielein and his chef, Jean-Pierre

Eigenheer, recreated the dinner served by Escoffier on the occasion of

the New Year’s Eve celebration in 1899 at The Carlton Hotel in London.

Irene Mathews served as the charming hostess of the affair, ensuring a

perfect dinner on tables set with red roses and crisp white linens.

The dinner began with salade beaucaire, a mix of celery, endive, smoked

duck, apple, beet, chevril and tarragon. A Billecart Brut Rose wine was

served with this first course. Then, a filet de sole, avec huitres,

enticed the dining crowd with a Pernot Puligny Montrachet 1996 to

accompany the fish dish.

To cleanse the pallet, a sorbet de groseille et Porto (a red currant

sorbet) with a smooth port wine followed. Tournedos de boeuf Lili, a

filet of beef with duck liver, mushrooms and truffle sauce, was presented

as the main course with a Roty Charmes-Chambertin 1992 wine. Finally, for

dessert, Charlotte Russe en praline, a ladyfinger with a healthy infusion

of praline taste served with a Royal Tokaji Red Label 1995 wine to end the meal. The generous Ron Loutherback and his wife, Therese, owners of

The Wine Club, provided the outstanding fruit of the vine.

In the well-dressed crowd, dining and being entertained by the Costa Mesa

High School Chorus, were Bob and Patricia Marshall, Dick and Pat Allen,

Don and Ramona Bernamonti, Bill and Laila Conlin, Margaret Richardson,

John and Erin Macaluso, Wally and Gerry Schroeder, Dorothy Benford, Bill

and Barbara Adams, Craig and Susan Combs, and Jeff and Amy Vieth.

With 21,000 members in 147 countries, the Chaine has an even more

important purpose. Funds are raised to support students wishing to pursue

a career in the kitchen. Chaine funds programs at major culinary

universities around the world, enabling young people who might not

otherwise have the opportunity to learn the art of fine cooking to feed

the next generation and to keep the tradition of the table alive and well

and flourishing in 2000 and beyond.

B.W. COOK is the editor of the Bay Window Magazine, a Balboa Bay Club

publication. His column appears every Thursday and Saturday.