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Jason and Jen Marble, pictured in 2020 when they opened The Marble Table at 2515 Montana Ave.
Chicken piccata is on the menu at the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Jason and Jen Marble and sous chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Honey roasted squash with cranberries and goat cheese is on the menu at the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on Nov. 27.
Jason and Jen Marble and chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Jason and Jen Marble and chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Jason and Jen Marble and chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
As a toddler, Jason Marble would watch cooking shows instead of cartoons.
“I’ve always been infatuated with food,” said Marble, who is opening his first restaurant, The Marble Table, with his wife, Jen. Located at 2515 Montana Ave., in the space that was previously Lilac, the casual-fare restaurant will open to the public on Nov. 27.
The Marbles are high school sweethearts who drifted apart and reunited later in life. “We would have these really cool, romantic, huge dinners with a bunch of people,” said Jen of their high school days. “He cooked all our formals. It’s always been a huge passion for him.”
For Jason, his palate developed at a young age in part due to his father’s bland cooking. “I grew up with a father who was very plain meat-and-potatoes. Black pepper is even spicy. No garlic. No onions … super plain. So I started cooking myself dinner at 10.”
At age 16, Jason began cooking professionally. He was part of the opening kitchen staff at Bistro Enzo more than two decades ago. After graduating from high school in the late 1990s, he left for Portland to attend Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary school founded in Paris in 1895.
Jason's been in the kitchen at several local restaurants, including sous-chef at Last Chance Pub and executive chef at Überbrew. He returned to Enzo about a year ago and left recently to open his own place. He and Jen also ran a catering business, J.Marble Co., which is now on the back burner as they get The Marble Table up and running.
The Marbles have been married for five years and have four children ages 9 to 16 in their blended family.
“Some people find it off-putting, working with their spouse, but I actually like him. I can hang out with him,” said Jen. “We balance each other out really well.” While Jason will cover the kitchen, Jen’s role will be business manager.
“It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure,” Jason said of the restaurant industry. He’s remained dedicated to the business “purely for the passion for food and for loving the job.” He attributes his work ethic to helping his father run a nursery on Poly Drive.
“I’ve never been a stranger to working hard, growing up working in a small family business,” Jason said. That horticultural background has also come in handy, and the Marbles maintain a home garden.
“It gives you an appreciation for where your food comes from and an understanding of how it goes from the seed to your plate,” Jason said.
The Marbles are calling the food offered at The Marble Table “elegant comfort food.”
“That is open to interpretation,” said Jason. “Every cuisine has some form of comfort food. It really gives me a broad palate to play with.” He stressed that food will be familiar and approachable. “Nothing we do is pretentious. I am not going to hunt out forest Sasquatch to make a Reuben out of,” Jason said with a laugh. “My kids can come into the restaurant and read the menu and know what they are going to eat. No one is going to have to pull out their phone and Google the menu.”
Christopher McCann will also be in the kitchen as second-in-command. McCann has been working with Jason for the past few years. "Between the two of us, we have 50 years of kitchen experience," said Jason. "He brings experience and knowledge that allows us to achieve the goals we have with our ambitious menu and overall restaurant concept."
The menu will be fluid and use local and regionally sourced foods and will change seasonally, as well as be adaptive to limitations in the supply chain due to the pandemic. The menu will be the same for lunch and dinner. The Marbles also have a beer and wine license.
“Anyone opening a restaurant any time has to be a little crazy,” said Jason. “We are trying to make the business model fluid enough that we can change on the fly and still be able to provide good food and a great experience for our customers, whether they dine in our restaurant or order take out.”
When taking over the lease of the former Lilac restaurant, which closed in June, the Marbles wanted to make the space inviting, updating the floors with a warm finish and also creating private seating. The remodel was done with COVID-19 restrictions in mind.
“We put up dividers between each table, which makes each one an intimate cove while still being open and not claustrophobic,” described Jason.
Seating with current restrictions of 50% capacity can accommodate about 30 patrons. Full seating will include stools at the marble bar top that was already in place.
“It’s a space that feels inviting to everyone,” said Jason. “You don’t have to worry about getting dressed up to go out.”
“If you want to, you can,” Jen added. “It will be a romantic place, but you don’t have to.”
The marble bar worked nicely into the restaurant’s name, which was also inspired by pre-COVID-19 times, when the Marbles would host backyard barbecues.
“Everyone that came into our house were our friends, and they become our family, enjoying that time together and being able to come down and sit at our table,” said Jen. “We want everyone to come to our table.”
Jason and Jen Marble and chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Jason and Jen Marble, pictured in 2020 when they opened The Marble Table at 2515 Montana Ave.
A gourmet version of mac and cheese is on the menu at the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Honey roasted squash with cranberries and goat cheese is on the menu at the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on Nov. 27.
Chicken piccata is on the menu at the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
A sweet potato crisp with house-made vanilla ice cream will be on the menu as Jason and Jen Marble open the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue.
Jason and Jen Marble and chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Jason and Jen Marble and sous chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Jason and Jen Marble and chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Jason and Jen Marble and chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Jason and Jen Marble and chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
The Marble Table will open to the public on Nov. 27, and operating hours will be Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to close.
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Arts & Entertainment Reporter at The Billings Gazette.
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Jason and Jen Marble, pictured in 2020 when they opened The Marble Table at 2515 Montana Ave.
Chicken piccata is on the menu at the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Jason and Jen Marble and sous chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Honey roasted squash with cranberries and goat cheese is on the menu at the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on Nov. 27.
Jason and Jen Marble and chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Jason and Jen Marble and chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
Jason and Jen Marble and chef Christopher McCann are opening the Marble Table at 2515 Montana Avenue on November 27.
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