Long Branch Gourmet aims to solve your hunger, at the beach or the table

Susan Bloom

November 9, 2022 at 11:52 AM·6 min read

LONG BRANCH - Growing up in the Essex County town of Maplewood, Dave Enright honed his interests in cheese and charcuterie early on. And through his launch of Long Branch Gourmet earlier this year, he’s successfully brought those culinary experiences — along with a range of gourmet sandwiches, deli salads and other delectable fare — to the Long Branch community.

“As a kid, my first real afterschool job was in a cheese shop in Maplewood when I was 14, and I continued working there all through high school and college,” said Enright, 49, a Long Branch resident. “I liked knowing about an area of cuisine that not everyone is familiar with and helping them learn more about it.”

While he explored a number of different majors in college, “the one thing I always stuck with was food,” said Enright, who eventually moved to Philadelphia, where he managed a café, worked for a small cheese shop in Narberth, Pennsylvania, and then worked at the Di Bruno Bros. cheese shop and Italian market in Philadelphia for several years.

“In 2006, I started working in Whole Foods’ specialty department and spent the next 15 years at different Whole Foods locations around the Philadelphia metro area and then in Bethesda, Maryland,” he said.

Long Branch Gourmet owner David Enright holds a fresh slice of Capocollo at the Ocean Avenue North shop Tuesday, November 8, 2022. The shop opened earlier this year and features cheese & charcuterie; deli and specialty foods store.

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Moving back to New Jersey to be with family in February 2021, “I worked at Whole Foods in Princeton while I figured out what to do next,” said Enright, a certified cheese professional (through the American Cheese Society) who quickly honed in on an idea.

“Over the previous five to six years, I’d spent a few weeks every summer visiting a friend in Long Branch and we noticed a lack of high-end delis and gourmet grocery items there,” he said. “Based on my background, my original plan was to open a cheese shop in Long Branch, but as I talked to people in the community, I realized that I’d be foolish not to cater to the beach crowd by offering gourmet sandwiches, deli salads and pre-made meals as well.”

Ready to go out on his own, “I looked for space for about a year and decided on my current spot on Ocean Avenue in Long Branch based on its proximity to two different beach entrances,” said Enright, who launched Long Branch Gourmet in March.

“I wracked my brain for days to come up with a clever name,” he noted, “but being brand new to the area, I thought that ‘Long Branch Gourmet’ would be the best way to tell people exactly what we’re about.”

A charcuterie tray is displayed at the Long Branch Gourmet Tuesday, November 8, 2022. This plate features: Jasper Hill Farm Harbison, Manchego, Aged Gouda, Fresh Chevre, peach and apricot spread, Soppressata, wild boar sausage, fresh and dried fruit, olives, nuts and cornichons.

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'We’re much more than just cheese'

Nearly nine months later, the 1,500-square-foot specialty food outlet offers a broad range of tasty items.

Among them, “we have cheese and charcuterie trays featuring a selection of cheeses, cured meats, olives, chocolates and fresh and dried fruit,” Enright said. “Ideal for everything from small gatherings to cocktail parties, weddings, office meetings/parties and outdoor events, our trays come in three sizes that start at $50 and we’re happy to prepare custom trays as well.”

“We’re also a specialty cheese shop and draw products made from cow, goat and sheep’s milk from around the globe and domestically,” said Enright of a collection that includes several dozen different cheeses and will be expanded for the holidays.

But while a block of cheese figures prominently in the shop’s logo, “we’re much more than just cheese,” he said.

“We also offer a range of house-made gourmet sandwiches,” he said, “including an Italian-style sub featuring grilled chicken with fresh mozzarella, tomato, arugula and a balsamic glaze as well as a hot pulled roast pork or braised brisket sandwich with broccoli rabe and sharp provolone.

Long Branch Gourmet owner David Enright cheese case at the Ocean Avenue North shop Tuesday, November 8, 2022. The shop opened earlier this year and features cheese & charcuterie; deli and specialty foods store.

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"Our most popular vegetarian sandwich blends grilled eggplant with roasted peppers, mozzarella and a balsamic glaze and we also offer a selection of gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, such as brie with a fig spread and prosciutto on thick white Texas toast,” he said, noting that all sandwiches start at $12.99. “In addition, our pre-made meals include salmon and chicken dishes, meatballs, lasagna, sides like broccoli rabe, grilled eggplant and other vegetables, three homemade soups daily, and deli salads like egg salad and albacore tuna salad.”

For those with a sweet tooth, “we offer house-made chocolate chip cookies, brownies and seasonal items like pumpkin spice cookies as well as iced and hot coffee and tea, and we’ll be introducing some other cakes and pastries for the holidays,” Enright said.

With West Long Branch-based Monmouth University located just a mile away, “we think that students and our local regulars alike will love our burgers — including our signature Long Branch Gourmet Burger featuring gruyère, bacon, a fried egg, onion jam and chipotle mayonnaise — as well as our hand-cut fries with a variety of dipping sauces, including our cheese fries with melted raclette scraped over them,” Enright said. “And we offer pre-made foods for catering as well.”

Long Branch Gourmet owner David Enright scrapes Raclette cheese onto fries at the Ocean Avenue North shop Tuesday, November 8, 2022. The shop opened earlier this year and features cheese & charcuterie; deli and specialty foods store.

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'Positive word of mouth'

According to Enright, “business was great during the summer and we’re seeing new people come in every day. Word is spreading and people from Red Bank, Asbury Park and Ocean Grove as well as Long Branch are making their way here based on positive word-of-mouth.”

That growing traffic has allowed Enright to spot trends and tweak the shop’s menu accordingly. Among the preferences he’s noticed, “people seem to be looking for more comfort foods. They love our chicken soup in all versions as well as our mac and cheese, lasagna and meatballs,” he said.

Among challenges, Enright said that the ability to source products and equipment remains impacted by the pandemic. “In addition, food prices keep going up and we can’t always pass that on to the customer, especially on commodity items,” he said.

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At the same time, with a local population that he said differs from the area’s summertime clientele, “we’re working to develop a menu and roster of daily specials that will appeal to and engage year-round residents.”

Supported by three team members, Enright is excited for the future.

“For the holidays, we’ll be offering an expanded selection of side dishes as well as cheese and charcuterie trays to help make entertaining easy for our customers,” he said.

As for his hope for the business, “I want Long Branch Gourmet to be a local go-to for good gourmet food and a place where area residents can get things that they previously had to travel or search for,” he said.

Among his favorite parts of the business, Enright enjoys introducing people to things they won’t be able to find at local grocery stores.

“It’s great to see someone get really excited about a food or product they’ve never had before, like when they discover a cheese for the first time and fall in love with it,” he said. “I love helping people experience delicious new things.”