made in montclair
Going to the Source
From beer to bread, The MC Hotel offers home-grown goodies
W
WRITTEN BY REBECCA KING PHOTOGRAPHY BY MITSU YASUKAWA
hen The MC
Hotel opened
in Montclair in
mid-August, it
redefined the
term “locally
sourced.” The bar, restaurant, grab-
and-go snacks and the in-room mini-
bar are packed with products with
Montclair connections. You’ll be
hard-pressed to find a hub of so
many different Montclair-based
food products anywhere.
The hotel, located on Bloomfield
Avenue, is a Marriott Autograph
Boutique Hotel, run by the Chicago-
based Aparium Group, which aims
to infuse local color into its hotels.
“Aparium coined the term ‘trans-
local’ to describe what they’re
about,” Montclair resident and the
hotel’s Director of Lifestyle Emily
Wittmann says. “They want to bring
the community into the hotel and
the guests who are staying here to
come out of their rooms and experi-
ence the community.”
The first opportunity comes at
The Marketplace, a small, open
store in the lobby stocked with
chips, chocolates, sauces and
juices — all with Montclair roots,
of course. A few yards away, the
40-seat lobby bar offers local
coffee made specifically for The
MC as well as beer on-tap from
nearby breweries.
The hotel’s 95-seat restaurant,
Allegory, serves dishes made with
local produce, spices and sauces.
Executive chef Daniel Kill and pastry
chef Heather Lattig give the impres-
sion that they would source their
ingredients from around the block, if
possible.
Here’s a look at the treats you can
nosh on at The MC Hotel.
GREAT NOTCH ROASTERS: A whole-
sale seller based in Newark, Great
Notch Roasters created a special
coffee blend for the hotel called the
MC Blend. Founder of Great Notch
Roasters Richard Seidenberg lives
in Montclair.
A MONTCLAIR
PRODUCTION
In addition to the
consumable goods
mentioned here,
the MC features
the works of local
artists in its rooms
and public spaces.
CONNOR’S SAUCERY: Twelve-year-
old Connor Barshay, a Verona
resident, has his own brand of small-
batch hot sauces. Barshay, who was
born with muscular dystrophy, is a
sauce connoisseur, and his company
works to increase awareness of the
condition and to raise money to find
its cure. Barshay’s sauces are used by
Chef Kill on his fried chicken sand-
wich, which is served table-side and
sold in The MC’s marketplace.
MONTCLAIR BREWERY: Montclair
Brewery is located on Walnut Street,
and owners Denise Ford Sawadogo
and Leo Sawadogo live in Montclair.
They have created a special beer for
the hotel called The MC Pilsner, a
refreshing, citrusy beer brewed with
orange peel and rosemary. “It’s a
great broad appeal beer that is easily
enjoyed by all beer drinkers,” says
Denise.
DOLCE FEDERICA: This Montclair
shop creates small-batch, hand-
made, artisanal European chocolate.
Chocolatier Federica Heiman, who
lives in Montclair, made two special
chocolate bars specifically for the
hotel: Frutti di Bosco with
dried raspberries and
blueberries and Noci