“How did I end up somewhere so beautiful as this?” said Martin
By Jeff Kurowski | For On Mission
OSHKOSH — Jeff Martin, chef and kitchen manager at Jesuit Retreat House on Lake Winnebago, pauses to reflect on his scenic surroundings.
“How did I end up here? How did I end up somewhere so beautiful as this?” said Martin, who started at the retreat house in January 2002. “People are so gracious when they come here for opportunities for peace and freedom. It’s kind of humbling.”
Martin said that he views his work as a form of ministry, one that connects to Scripture.
“Jesus fed the masses,” he said. “It’s the mind, body and soul concept. If the body’s not feeling right, your mind and soul are going to be a little hectic.”
Martin was born and raised in Oshkosh, the youngest of six children of Al and Sue Martin. The family belonged to Sacred Heart Parish (now part of St. Jude the Apostle Parish).
He remembers discovering a love for cooking and baking cookies at the “apron strings” of his mother and his maternal grandmother, Rose Weddig. Martin said that he developed another passion at a young age — music.
“I was the main singer, the head of the play, in the first grade (at Sacred Heart School),” he said. “I was put in the spotlight at a young age. It made it a lot easier to transition into cantoring when I was older. The (religious sisters) and a few priests empowered me to be out front.”
Martin began playing the piano at age 8. He played the saxophone in the band at Sacred Heart and at Lourdes High School (now Lourdes Academy).
He credits his Catholic school education and the influence of his grandmother, Weddig, for helping him learn and practice the faith. She served as his confirmation sponsor and modeled a strong prayer life, he said.
During his senior year of high school, Martin became a “little rebellious,” he said. He began to question things and became less engaged in his faith. After a year and a half in college, he moved to Milwaukee.
“I was playing with a band. I was in the bar scene and the restaurant scene,” he said. “I was in different (restaurant) jobs. I always ended up eventually managing everywhere I worked.”
Martin said he began attending Mass again in his late 20s and fully returned to the Church at age 30.
“I was trying to heal myself a bit,” he said.
While in Milwaukee, he met Fr. Warren Sazama, the first Jesuit priest he encountered in his life. The Jesuit influence led him to make a retreat at the Jesuit Retreat House in January 2001, just before his 30th birthday. He made a second retreat on Lake Winnebago in the summer of 2001.
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Martin decided it was time to return to Oshkosh.
“I felt that God was calling me to be more involved with family and faith,” he said.
When the position at Jesuit Retreat House opened up, Martin said he was ready to move on from the hustle and bustle of the restaurant business.
“The restaurants really brought me down. It’s tough for any chef, any cook, any server,” he said. “When I talked with (Jesuit) Fr. Mike Morrison (executive director at Jesuit Retreat House at the time and now deceased), he said that I should come in and do a meal. ‘Can you feed 40 to 60 people?’ I was able to learn the ropes.”
Planning and budgeting for retreat groups of different sizes are among the challenges of the job, Martin said. The largest group served is 60-65 retreatants and the leaders. He and the staff take pride in accommodating food allergies and dietary restrictions, he said.
“If they tell me their diet, whether it’s gluten free or no sugar, it’s not hard to work around,” he said.
“People look forward to my cookies, beef tips and potato pancakes,” he said. “I make four or five different kinds of cookies from scratch. The chocolate chip-walnut cookies are the most famous. I make good gravy and spaghetti sauce. Nothing here is deep fried. Every Friday (at the retreat), I think about loaves and fishes. Am I going to have enough?”
When possible, Martin takes Sundays off to provide music ministry at Mass at St. Jude the Apostle Parish.
“I wish I could do more music,” he said. “It gets busy.”
Martin has worked for four executive directors at Jesuit Retreat House — Jesuit Fr. Morrison, Fr. John Schwantes, Fr. Chris Manahan and the current director, Fr. Mark Carr. He said that he’s grateful for their faith guidance and for being “good mentors.” Martin added that he feels the influence of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, and has developed a fondness for Jesuit music.
“There are so many sayings and songs that will pop into my head when I’m in the kitchen cooking,” he said.
Outside the kitchen and music ministry, Martin enjoys spending time with Kristen, his significant other, and his pets, gardening and performing with the Oshkosh Chamber Singers. He said that he values the opportunity to donate extra food from the retreat house, most of which is given to Father Carr’s Place 2B in Oshkosh.
“I feel as though I have a special ministry here to work for God, to work for the mission,” Martin said. “I can’t see myself going anywhere else. People come here with a heavy heart and know they are going to be in good hands.”
Driving down the road and the long entryway to Jesuit Retreat House each day reminds him that he’s at a special place, Martin said.
“There is this peacefulness. This is like God’s country club. Too bad there’s not 18 holes,” he said with a laugh.