The Cutting Board: Culinary Excellence and More!

“The Secret Sauce” Dan Silver, May 5, 2025

The Cutting Board’s Secret Sauce: People, Salad, and…

Welcome to the inaugural edition of “The Secret Sauce,” where we peek behind the curtain of outstanding New Jersey businesses. Who are they? What inspires them? How do they do things so darn well? In short, what is their secret sauce?

On a cold Friday morning in April, I sat down with Dan White and Sharon Trombley, the engaging couple behind The Cutting Board, a deli tucked in the corner of the Pia Costa business park in Fairfield NJ. I’ve been a regular for a good ten years, and routinely find myself captivated by both the food and the company. I wanted to know how Dan, a chemical engineer originally from North Caldwell, and Sharon, a certified culinary chef from Boston, ended up here owning their own restaurant.

Dan works out front—keeping his eye on customers, servers, inventory, and doing work on his computer. Sharon is more often found in the kitchen, where she creates high-end restaurant fare at affordable deli prices. Their business, celebrating its 20th year anniversary, is about great food at affordable prices. It is also a culmination of a long-distance romance that began with an online dating nearly 30 years.

When we sat down to chat, Dan and Sharon took me through their start together. Dan wanted more independence in his work, so he moved back from Houston and left engineering. In 1998 he saw an opportunity to buy The Galleria in Edison, and cajoled Sharon to move down from Boston has the head chef. Slowly they two of them planned how they would redo a smaller diner to be successful, and in 2004 found Manny’s Texas Wieners for sale. Great location in Fairfield, near a Home Depot. But it needed a lot of work. They shut down for 5 months completely gutting both front and kitchen. The Cutting Board opened in Spring 2005. Their motto: Build it right, and they will bite!

The couple spoke about their dining credo: Ingredients—fresh and high quality; Staff: friendly and respectful; catering: quick turn arounds and flexible menus. Dan commented that the most important thing is finding capable staff, and keeping them by paying as much as you can afford. Sharon stressed the importance of training them how to do things your way.

Sharon also enthusiastically spoke about the importance of quality ingredients, unusual recipes, and proper cooking skills. Example: don't use the hottest part of the grill (browns the butter, toughens eggs). Don't add any liquid to omelettes (toughens them and they burn). Most important—come up with tastes that surprise and delight customers (example: ham sandwich with jalepeno cheese, sauteed apple and chutney mayo)

Tiptoeing lightly, I asked: what was their one signature dish? Dan: “Everything is delicious.” Sharon: “we do things differently.” I pushed back--what is the best dish was and why? Dan waited, Sharon pounced with firmness and clarity: “the glazed balsamic marinated chicken salad.” I have to profess, I am rather fed up with chicken in my life. The poor man’s fillet mignon. I pressed her—how can a chicken on salad be that wonderful?

From beneath her trademark faux fur hat, she surmises my skepticism. Folding her arms, she explained the key is not easy—simply put, she knows how to make and flavor chicken right. Her glaze sauce is unique. She can perfectly roast the red peppers and can caramelize the onions in her sleep. The greens are fresh, the small mozzarella balls are melt-in-your-mouth divine.

Then, ending with her version of a quadruple Lutz she landed on the chicken itself: “The glaze is the special sauce, so to speak, but the chicken is the real star. We have learned over time how to make and grill chicken breast tender and seasoned consistently. It just full of flavors that tantalize the palate." I waited to see if there was anything else. "And don't ask me about the glaze—I am not going to tell."

Dan watched his partner with a bemused smile--he was definitely enjoying this, adding “One customer can’t stop ordering that salad—he calls it crack chicken.” He smiled, she laughed, I grinned and knodded. We were done. I admit, I have never experienced a divine or tantalizing chicken dish in my life, so I took one home. I thanked them for their hospitality and they both smiled. Once at home I dove into the saled. After just a few bites, I was hooked. Love, thy name is Cutting Board balsamic glazed chicken salad.

I came away certain this: Dan and Sharon have vastly different skills and ideas. Their temperaments are both pretty laid back. Taken together they are a blessing that works wonders. And their secret sauce is one word—caring.