7 Questions with the Sandwich King
Jeff Mauro (Photograph courtesy and copyright of FilmMagic)
7 Questions is an occasional feature here in the Sea Isle Times. You know the name, you know his face and after today, you’ll know even more about Chef Jeff Mauro.
Jeff Mauro was a staple on The Food Network’s “The Kitchen” for the show’s seven-season run. The beloved co-host kept his fellow co-hosts on their toes with his sharp wit and vast knowledge of the food world. There’s no question that Mauro was one of the show’s most beloved stars. After winning the Food Network Star competition in Season 7, in 2011, Mauro was crowned the Sandwich King. After all, he’s always demonstrating his love for what he refers to as “the handheld meal.” So, Ocean City may have had Grace Kelly, the princess of Monaco, but could she make a panini with that toasty crunch on the outside wrapped around the taste of mingling melted cheeses and meats? Sea Isle City’s Sandwich King is classically trained by Le Cordon Bleu. Monaco’s princess couldn’t make that claim.
Mauro is a native of the Windy City. That’s a thousand miles and, under best conditions, a 16-hour nonstop trip by car. That’s a long drive for a family vacation. So, like most folks, we were surprised on April 19, when The Food Network ran episode 6 of season 37 on April 19 titled “The Kitchen’s Family Vacation.” In this episode, each host features a dish or taste from their treasured vacation memories. Needless to say, they were varied and diverse. Who expected the guy from Chicago to talk about road trips to Sea Isle City in the ’80s and ’90s? But that’s exactly what happened.
After the show aired, the Sea Isle Times reached out to Mauro through our friend Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, the former culinary director of the Water Club in Atlantic City. The Iron Chef helped us reach Mauro for this feature. So, our thanks to Jeff, Geoffrey, and Nicolas Kurban, the former VP of food and beverage at Borgata, for helping us make this feature happen.
How does a family from Chicago end up vacationing in what the mayor refers to as the capital of Cape May County?
JM: My Aunt Pat, Uncle Joe Stella, and cousin Richie lived in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area. They had a place at the shore. Kids from Chicago had zero idea what the Jersey Shore was, so we felt truly blessed to have this summer wonderland available to us. It was where we went on vacation for several years in the ’80s and ’90s. It was very special to us.
The drive down I-80 and I-95 before even getting to the AC Expressway had to be brutal. Was it still exciting to arrive in town?
JM: My warrior of a father, big Gus, would drive straight through, 16 hours without stopping. He would take the middle seats of our 1988 Dodge Caravan out and throw a dusty old mattress in there. There was a total of four kids in the back. My sisters and I were on the middle mattress, and our oldest brother, Frank, was on the back bench. Our folks were in the front. We had a cooler, snacks, books, and games, and I can still feel that excitement today. The journey was one of the best parts.
Can you tell us about your typical day in SIC?
JM: Wake up, eat cereal, then go to the beach and boogie board until it was time to eat again. Then we’d go to the Promenade for Skee-Ball, video games, funnel cakes, and pizza. Then, the adults would make a huge meal, and we’d head home.
Many families on vacation had special spots or traditions. Did your family have any of these special traditions? Did food always play a big part in your life?
JM: I’ll never forget that our first requested meal when we got to town was a hoagie from Wawa. Wawa, to us, was a magical wonderland of sandwiches. There are no Wawas at home.
When was the last time that you were in SIC? Have you ever spoken about the Jersey Shore to your wife and family?
JM: My last trip I was probably 16. I tell my 17-year-old son about those experiences all of the time.
When you see the words "Sea Isle City," what immediately pops into your mind?
JM: Chicago kids don’t get an ocean in their backyard, so this was our first taste of saltwater and surf. We absolutely loved it. So, when we saw that sign (on the Garden State Parkway) we immediately rolled the windows down and smelled the salt air. We knew that we were at a place that was magical.
From your mentions on “The Kitchen,” it sounded like you visited the Ocean City boardwalk. Where else did you venture?
JM: When we were forced to quarantine (in 2020) we came to New Jersey so that I could tape the show that I was hosting on the Food Network, “Kitchen Crash.” We chose to spend those two weeks in a house right by the beach up in Avon-by-the-Sea. We had our dogs, our best friends, and it was a fabulous, albeit pretty crazy time.
(Editor’s note: By coincidence, one of the families that competed on Jeff’s “Kitchen Crash” show was from Hamilton Township in Mercer County. They were a generational vacationing family to SIC and wore SIC sweatshirts while competing. You may have read about them here in Sea Isle Times.)