Club + Resort Chef October 2019

October 2019 www.clubandresortchef.com

Arm in Arm

How Executive Chef Michael Weisshaupt and the team at Fiddler’s Elbow have reinvented dining and doubled revenues to over $8 million.

INSIDE Farming the Property Defining Service Excellence In-house Bread Baking

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CONTENTS October 2019 • Vol. 9 • Issue 4

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Arm in Arm

How Executive Chef Michael Weisshaupt and the team at Fiddler’s Elbow have reinvented dining and doubled revenues to over $8 million.

- 12 Inside Island Cuisine

These two island properties rely on local ingredients and regional culinary styles to elevate their menus for members and guests.

F

Editor’s Memo 5 Progress, Not Perfection

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Publisher’s Memo

Join Us.

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Farming the Property

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Raise Your Glass

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Breaking Bread

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Taking Buffets from So-So to Superb

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How Two Clubs Achieve Service Excellence

Whether it’s beehives or a chef’s garden, more club and resort chefs are making better use of their properties to grow and source ingredients.

Coconut Cocktails by Sawgrass CC

Smooth(ie) Sailing At The Turn

Columbine CC’s new grab-and-go bar features smoothies, juices and coffees, as well as grab-and-go meals.

In-house bread baking can enhance a dining experience—but pastry teams must rise to the occasion.

Chefs are tapping into their culinary ingenuity to serve up globally inspired fare with innovative presentations.

Cherokee T&CC and Charlotte CC teach their teams to go beyond a rigid set of scripted rules to create a service-driven culture that thrives on personalization and care.

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Evolution, Not Revolution

Park CC’s General Manager/COO, Brad Pollak, CCM, CCE, believes supporting and inspiring team members, regardless of tenure, will lead to consistent growth.

Chef’s Thoughts 34 Todd Sellaro, Executive Chef, Elkridge Club, Baltimore, Md., wants to learn more about beekeeping.

30 Product Showcase 33 Ad Index COURTESY OF DORADO BEACH

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Dishing

with

DeChellis

PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION SOMEHOW, I GOT SUCKERED into coaching my 8-year-old daughter’s travel soccer team. I played soccer in high school, and I enjoyed it, but I never saw myself as much of a coach. Crazy parent who goes wild when any of the kids do something great? Definitely me. But voluntarily teach a group of kids how to play soccer? Eh. Turns out, I love coaching these kids.

They’re amazing. Watching them evolve from a rag-tag group of newbies to a wellorchestrated team that wins games together has been incredibly rewarding.

I imagine chefs feel a similar rush when they mentor younger cooks. There’s a sense of pride in watching your people grow.

There’s a responsibility in letting them fail.

They learn. They evolve. They improve. They are grateful for your time and your effort. They are not perfect, but they are getting better.

Earlier this month, I recorded my very first podcast in our new series, “Club + Resort Talks.” You can find the series on Spotfiy, on our website and just about anywhere else you’d opt to tune in. I spoke with Jason McClain, Executive Chef of the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles. We talked about what he looks for in new hires.

“I want them to be moldable,” he said.

Later in the conversation, he talked about how he nurtures these cooks alongside his tenured employees. He gives back in myriad ways to improve their experience and ultimately improve their performance.

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One thing that particularly impressed me is how McClain leads a meditation-and-stretch session for his team in the club’s banquet space. This gives everyone a chance to destress and dive in more clear-headed and prepared for whatever the day holds. He also has a library full of culinary books that anyone can check out. In both cases, he has found ways to allow his team to evolve and improve, without making it feel like hard work.

Everyone, everywhere is struggling to find and keep qualified staff. But if we all keep pouring ourselves into the next generation, maybe that’s the first step in righting the ship.

At our last soccer practice, I taught my team what it means to “play with a sense of urgency.” I told them that their bosses will thank me someday for teaching them this wise life-lesson. (They giggled. They’re 8.)

But really, if we invest our time and pass our knowledge onto the next generation and stop complaining about the work it will take to get them up to speed, I think we’ll start to see real change.

EDITOR Joanna DeChellis jdechellis@clubandresortbusiness.com 412-260-9233

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2011 - 2019

Fiddler’s Elbow Bedminster Township, N.J.

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Maui Country Club Maui, Hawaii

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Park Country Club, Williamsville, N.Y.

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SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES

To enter, change or cancel a subscription: Web (fastest service): www.ezsub.com/crb Phone: 844-862-9286 (U.S. only, toll-free) Mail: Club + Resort Business, P.O. Box 986, Levittown, PA 19058 Copyright 2019, WTWH Media, LLC

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On the cover: (from left to right) Michael Nyerges, Clubhouse Manager; Amanda Snell, Sous Chef Tournant; William van Why, Banquet Chef; Harry Novljakovic, Executive Sous Chef; Marco Nicoletti, Sommelier and Dining Room Manager; Michael Weishaupt, Executive Chef; Thomas Hurley, General Manager; Matthew Mendez, Chef de Cuisine, Elbow Room; Anthony Acampora, Chef de Cuisine, 55th Hole; and Christina Jegou, Sous Chef, 55th Hole. www.clubandresortchef.com

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The

19th Hole

with

McIntyre

JOIN US. EARLIER THIS MONTH, I ran into a friend who was out to dinner with his young family at a steakhouse here in Cleveland. I was surprised to see him in this setting, as he typically dines at his club when he’s out with his whole crew.

I asked him what the occasion was, and why they weren’t at the club.

“The club’s food is stagnant,” he said. “There’s nothing new and even the most basic entrees are boring.

My kids are tired of the ‘same-old, same-old,’ and so is my wife.”

That answer should alarm the management at my friend’s club, as he certainly isn’t the only member with this opinion. The question is, what is his club doing about it?

With golf rounds being depressed, clubs have to knock it out of the park with other offerings. For some clubs, that means the introduction of a new golf simulator, new fitness programs or other new initiatives, to ensure that the entire family is able to use the club to its fullest potential.

No matter the initiative, though, when members use the club, they use F&B. Back to my friend. His wife doesn’t want to go to the club, and neither do his kids. So instead, he’s spending $250 on a Friday night outside of the club, even though he has an F&B minimum to hit.

I told my friend about our annual Chef to Chef Conference, and later I sent him some videos from the 2019 event, as well some information about the 2020 Chef to Chef Conference in Charlotte (see pg. 26). I encouraged him to talk to his club’s leadership and suggest they send their chef.

He called me back a few days later and told me he spoke with his GM, who said,

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“It’s not in our budget.”

Most clubs send their superintendents to the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s Golf Industry Show. They send their golf pros to the PGA Show. And they send their general managers to the Club Management Association of America’s World Conference and Club Business Expo. These are all great organizations, and attendance at their events are all worthwhile investments of time and resources.

But what about the culinary team?

Where do they go to network with club chefs and discuss the unique challenges specific to this industry?

Twelve years ago, we launched the Chef to Chef Conference to create a community for food-andbeverage professionals on both sides of the house. We now have a dedicated magazine, a website with cultivated industry content, blogs written by practicing club chefs, a recipe site with thousands of recipes, food-and-beverage newsletters, videos, podcasts and more.

The Chef to Chef Conference and Club + Resort Chef have become the home for like-minded club culinarians to gather, share ideas

and overcome challenges to help their clubs (and their staffs) avoid becoming boring, stagnant and rote.

GMs: If one member is taking his family out to dinner and spending $250, what do you think the odds are that 100 other members are doing the same thing each month, or worse, each week? That’s a loss of $25,000 in sales. It’s also a missed opportunity to put a spotlight on your culinary team and inspire guests who might consider joining your club someday.

If you haven’t been to the Chef to Chef Conference, or you haven’t sent your Executive Chef, Sous Chef, Line Cook or F&B Manager, I strongly urge you to consider it.

I believe strongly in the power of networking and idea-sharing. The wealth of talent and experience that your team will be exposed to in three days will elevate your club’s culinary programs in myriad ways.

And it’s not just me who thinks so. Chef to Chef has a 70% renewal rate year-over-year, with 260 private clubs participating in the annual Conference. The investment works for these clubs and their chefs—and it’ll work for you, too.

VICE PRESIDENT-GROUP PUBLISHER Tom McIntyre tmcintyre@wtwhmedia.com

216-533-9186

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10/2/19 3:40 PM

COVER FEATURE

Arm Arm in

How Executive Chef Michael Weisshaupt and the team at Fiddler’s Elbow have reinvented dining and doubled revenues to over $8 million.

By Joanna DeChellis, Editor

Fiddler’s Elbow’s Executive Chef, Michael Weisshaupt (right), works the line alongside Matthew Mendez, Chef de Cuisine of the Elbow Room.

COURTESY OF FIDDLER’S ELBOW

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MICHAEL WEISSHAUPT IS A visionary leader. As Executive Chef of Fiddler’s Elbow in Bedminster Township, N.J., he has successfully guided the club through one of the most profound transformations to its dining program since its inception in 1965.

Today, Fiddler’s Elbow is abuzz with life. It has abandoned its reputation as a corporate club catering exclusively to members with sky’s-the-limit expense accounts. It is now a family-focused property with world-class amenities and an enticing array of dining venues and menus.

But getting from there to here required an immense amount of savvy from a dynamic team of competent and ambitious leaders (see photo, cover), along with a significant investment in strategic planning from the club’s ownership.

BRINGING CHEF ABOARD Before Weisshaupt, the culinary program at Fiddler’s Elbow was serviceable. There was a good salmon dish, a reliable roasted chicken and a veal chop. Weddings and banquets were popular.

But the membership base was dwindling. And the club, which had been doing $6 million in F&B at one time, was down to only doing about $3.9. It wasn’t enough.

In 2011, the club’s ownership tapped Thomas Hurley as General Manager, because of his experience with construction and with revitalizing clubs. The owners also invested an extensive amount of capital into the facilities, constructing a pool, renovating the golf courses, and building a golf practice facility and a state-of-the-art sports and aquatics center. The idea was to become more family-focused.

The dining facilities were then renovated and a search commenced for a new executive chef who was capable of not just reviving F&B, but placing it squarely at the center of the member experience.

“We were extremely fortunate to get Chef [Weisshaupt],” says Hurley, who played an integral role in the search process. “We needed someone atypical and cutting-edge, who not only knew what it would take to redefine Fiddler’s Elbow’s dining program, but was also ambitious enough to pull it off.”

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COVER FEATURE

FIDDLER’S ELBOW at a glance Location: Bedminster Township, N.J. Members: 850 Annual F&B Revenue: Over $8 million A la Carte/Banquet Mix: 45% à la carte/55% banquet Food Costs: 33% Annual Golf Rounds: 51,000 F&B Minimum: $225/month (April through December), then $425/quarter (January through March) A la Carte Foodservice Spaces (capacities): • 55th Hole (Grill—75 seats) • 55th Hole patio (Grill patio—120 seats) • Elbow Room (fine dining— 85 inside, 32 on patio) • Cove (full-service, pool kitchen and snack bar) • Wine Cellar (by reservation only) No. of F&B employees: 105 Kitchens and sizes: • Banquet kitchen (5,500 sq. ft.)

• Pool (1,250 sq. ft.)

• Elbow Room (800 sq. ft.)

• 55th Hole (700 sq. ft.)

Clubhouse Size: 70,000 sq. ft.

Banquet Capacity: 550 buffet, 320 seated

DEFINING PURPOSE Nearly seven years later, Weisshaupt has more than lived up to those expectations. He and his team have totally transformed the culinary program into an $8 million-plus operation that “meets members where they are,” he says.

It all started by giving each outlet at the club its own identity.

Fiddler’s Elbow has three championship golf courses, so its 55th Hole serves as the grill room, catering primarily to golfers with casual tavernstyle cuisine. It has its own kitchen, albeit a small one, but enough to allow creative specials to run alongside classic fare.

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Every day, Weisshaupt (left) goes to General Manager Thomas Hurley’s office between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. for a cup of coffee and to catch up on business.

“Keeping the lines of communication open is critical,” says Hurley.

The Elbow Room is the club’s upscale dining space, though it’s far from stuffy.

“We want members to have fun here,” says Weisshaupt, who features locally driven dishes, especially fresh seafood.

To keep up with the demand for variety, the club features two themed nights each week in the Elbow Room.

On Wednesdays, there is a sea-to-table menu. On Thursdays, the space transforms into a steakhouse with classic French-style table service.

“Our menus are all unique and change often,” says Weisshaupt. “We have all separate kitchens, too, so it’s doable.”

In its wine cellar, Fiddlers’ Elbow will host a speakeasy for 25 to 30 members each month with music, interesting drinks and a super-secret vibe (see photo, opposite page).

WELL BEYOND BASIC Finally, The Cove is where the magic really happens.

“This isn’t a little pool snack bar,” says Weisshaupt. The Cove might be located at the pool, but it’s a full-service operation with a sous chef, three line cooks and a full dish crew.

In one month, The Cove will pull in $62,000 in sales. “It’s a solid operation from a revenue perspective,” says Weisshaupt, who was instrumental in

building the pool kitchen.

“We could see how the membership was growing and evolving,” he says.

“We needed The Cove to be a standalone outlet, so it could serve members with the quality we expect in a reasonable amount of time.”

The most popular dish coming out of The Cove is the salad. And while it might seem pedestrian, it is actually anything but basic.

“There was so much demand for new salads that we couldn’t create new combinations fast enough,” says Weisshaupt. So instead, he had the genius plan to put the menu ingenuity back on the members.

“We created a design-your-own salad concept that allows members to pick and choose different lettuces, proteins, add-ons and dressings,” he explains. “We offer six different greens and 25 different toppings, ranging from the more obvious vegetables and proteins like salmon, chicken, or crab cakes to dried fruits, chia seeds, quinoa and more.”

Members are given a checklist when ordering salads that is then given to the kitchen, where two to three people are dedicated to assembling each salad to order. The base price of each salad is $11.50, but with add-ons, an order typically rings up at around $18. www.clubandresortchef.com

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(Top) Fiddler’s Elbow has introduced dozens of craft cocktails featuring spirits and washes unique to the club. (Below) Salads at The Cove are completely customizable and extremely popular.

“In the summer, we average 80 salads in one hour,” says Weisshaupt. “The biggest challenge is the constant need for prep.”

Going forward, Weisshaupt hopes to expand dinner service at The Cove by hosting live music and expanding the menu to feature more dinner-focused dishes. “It’s a very casual space for families to relax and enjoy their club,” he says.

PAYING IT FORWARD “Anyone who wants to start a culinary career needs to work with Chef [Weisshaupt],” says Hurley. “I’ve worked with a ton of chefs over the course of my career, and he is easily the most creative chef and capable manager I’ve come across. No one can motivate, educate and inspire a team like he does. He gives of himself constantly.”

Even so, finding talent to help Fiddler’s Elbow continue its F&B resurgence has been challenging.

“We are always brainstorming ideas to maintain employees, keep them interested and continue to attract new talent,” says Weisshaupt. “We offer internal training sessions to help them evolve and grow. We also give them a fair and good place to work. We treat them like professionals. Our owners and managers believe that if we take care of our employees, they will take care of our members.”

Weisshaupt believes in treating each and every employee with respect, no matter what position they hold.

“They each have an opportunity to impact our business in a positive way,” he says. “Maybe they make a special or create an event. Maybe they’re washing dishes or clearing tables. It’s important to recognize each person as an important part of the team.” www.clubandresortchef.com

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BETTERING BANQUETS Earlier this year, Fiddler’s Elbow unveiled its newly renovated banquet kitchen.

“With the amount of banquet business we do, we needed a more efficient workspace,” says Weisshaupt. “The previous kitchen had a poor layout and we were on top of each other. It was very inefficient, and it would cause a lot of problems when we were hosting big events.”

The renovation project expanded the banquet kitchen from 2,500 to 5,400 sq. ft. Freezer and refrigeration space was added. Ditto for storage. Work stations were added, and more space for prep was also included.

“We’re now able to serve, prep and plate all at the same time,” says Weisshaupt. “It has really made a difference not only in the quality of food we’re able to produce, but in how the staff feels in the space. We’re much less stressed and frenzied.”

The only regret Weisshaupt has had regarding the banquet kitchen renovation was not creating enough storage for plates, silver, equipment and props.

“If you have the chance to renovate, really look at your storage,” he advises.

THE MIND OF A MIXOLOGIST The craft-cocktail experience at Fiddler’s Elbow is as innovative as the club’s culinary program. It goes well be-

yond what’s in a member’s glass, to really hone in on what it means to be a Fiddler’s Elbow member.

For the past three seasons, Clubhouse Manager Michael Nyerges has been working to elevate the beverage experience with a cocktail menu that changes annually.

“I use the cocktail menu as an engagement tool,” says Nyerges. “The first year, every drink was somehow related to the fiddle. The first two pages offered a history of the instrument; then we offered ‘classic violin’ cocktails that were traditional, alongside ‘electric violin’ cocktails that were more modern and creative.”

The next year, the cocktail menu was themed around the golf courses. This year, the focus is on the club’s history and the property itself.

“We owe it to our members to be the very best,” says Nyerges. “We owe them as many ‘wow’ moments as we can create. If that means using a cocktail menu as a history book, or using sous-vide to infuse our vodka with cucumbers, mint and fresh pineapple, then we’ll do that.” C+RC October 2019 l Club + Resort Chef l 11

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FOOD

Inside

Island Cuisine

The chefs at these two island properties rely on local ingredients and regional culinary styles to elevate menus for members and guests.

By Joanna DeChellis, Editor

PUERTO RICO AND HAWAII are almost 6,000 miles apart. What they lack in proximity, they make up for in unique regional cuisine that showcases the nuances of each island with ingredients, cooking styles and culture.

At Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico, Executive Chef Mario Pagan (pictured) harnessed his Puerto Rican roots to create a restaurant concept called Melao for members and guests.

Here, Pagan features dishes inspired by the islands.

“Melao represents all the fun and flavor that defines who we are as Puerto Ricans,” he says. “Puerto Rican cuisine has roots in a variety of cultures—Spanish, African, American— which makes experimenting a lot of fun.”

Pagan, a graduate of Johnson & Wales, likes to blend all sorts of influences into each dish on the menu at Melao. Ahi tuna tartare is served with green plantain tostones and a wakame aïoli. Shrimp spring rolls feature dehydrated coconut and a guava chili glaze. Pan-seared foie gras is served with a sweet plantain tempura, port reduction and pistachios.

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“We are breaking the stereotype that Puerto Rican cuisine is only rice, beans and roasted pigs,” says Pagan. “We have a lot more to offer.”

His Caribbean lobster-tail thermidor is a prime example.

“Lobster thermidor is as classic as it gets, but to make ours more regional, we use tarragon, escabeche onion and a yuca-bacon mofongo,” says Pagan.

Melao’s most popular dish is seafood paella (see photo, page 4, recipe online). It features lobster tail, squid, bay scallops, shrimp, mussels, and plantain “spiders” (shredded green plantains shaped into patties and fried until crisp).

“We use a lot of modern techniques to elevate each dish,” says Pagan, who notes that sustainability and sourcing can present challenges on the island. “Regardless, it’s important to showcase our region to our members and guests—and we do that through food.”

Sean Christensen, Executive Chef at Maui Country Club (MCC), agrees. www.clubandresortchef.com

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Dorado Beach’s Mario Pagan (opposite page) and Maui CC’s Sean Christensen (right) infuse menus and dishes with regional ingredients.

different cultures behind them.”

Since then, he’s been doing just that.

“Utilizing the freshest island fish is most important to me,” says Christensen. “I get a lot from our members who fish. Many of our members have fruit trees on their properties, own boats, and even run farms. I love working with them to bring in local products.”

One member, Gerry Ross from Kupa`a farms, brings Christensen a big mystery box once a week full of local organic produce. He and his staff work all of it into specials and menus. “We also save all of our food waste, and [Ross] turns it into compost,” he adds.

Christensen takes regional cuisine one step further by showcasing it with wine pairings. “When doing winemaker diners, I’ll pair wine with island flavors like Ahi with pinot noir, or ginger and

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lychee with sauvignon blanc,” he says.

Menus at MCC include fresh ceviche, Ahi tuna poke, and sashimi. Locally made Inamona finds its way on to a lot of Christensen’s plates, too, along with toasted Macadamia nuts, Up Country goat cheese, and pohole (fiddlehead ferns).

“Hawaii is a melting pot,” says Christensen. “We never stop learning from each other in the kitchen. I find myself learning other cuisines and making it more Hawaiian, simply by substituting ingredients.” C+RC

© 2019 Hatco Corporation. All rights reserved.

“As chefs, it is up to us to continue traditions in regional cuisine while also continuing to change and improve it,” says Christensen. “It needs to be important to us for it to matter to our members.”

According to Christensen, Hawaiian regional cuisine features a blend of ethnic Pacific Rim influences paired with traditional Hawaiian ingredients, which are as fresh as they get.

“Coming to Hawaii as a young cook was a transformative experience,” he says. “It’s hard not to be inspired by local food when you see it hanging from the trees and swimming with you in the ocean.

“The quality and freshness is almost overwhelming,” he adds. “When I first came, all I wanted to do was try every fruit, cook every fish, and learn not only about the ingredients, but about all the

People who serve, products that solve.®

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FOOD

Farming the

Property Whether it’s beehives, maple syrup or a chef’s garden, more club chefs are making better use of their properties, and their team members, as they grow and source on-site ingredients.

By Joanna DeChellis, Editor

THE CULINARY TEAM AND the course-and-grounds department may seem like unlikely allies. But club chefs who are eager to source unique and high-quality ingredients from their properties are reaching out to the course superintendents and horticulturists on their clubs’ staffs to form exciting new partnerships. Together, these experts are coming together to plant chef’s gardens, set up beehives, and tap maple trees.

“We don’t just have access to hundreds of acres right outside our back door—we also work alongside some of the most knowledgeable superintendents and horticulturists in the industry,” says Jonathan P. Moosmiller, CMC, Director of Food & Beverage at Southern Hills Country Club (SHCC) in Tulsa, Okla.

BREAKING DOWN SILOS COURTESY OF SOUTHERN HILLS CC

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About three years ago, Moosmiller and his team planted a chef’s garden to the

side of one of the fairways on SHCC’s West Nine golf course. The kitchen team planted, weeded and harvested all the crops, which included herbs, lettuces, peppers and squash.

“We did okay with it for about three years,” says Moosmiller. “But the problem was that when the garden needed the most work, we were the most busy in the kitchen. It was difficult to get out there regularly.”

When Russ Myers came on board as Southern Hills’ new Superintendent, he reached out to Moosmiller and offered to take ownership of the garden. “’We have the staff and the body of knowledge,’ he told me,” says Moosmiller. “It was a natural handoff.”

SHCC’s Horticulturist, Wilson Nease, took the baton and found a new 1,000-sq. ft. plot that had basically been used as a leaf dump up to that point. The grounds department wanted to clean it up anyway, so a garden made sense for all. www.clubandresortchef.com

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At Southern Hills CC, Director of Food & Beverage Jonathan P. Moosmiller, CMC, collaborates with the club’s Horticulturist, Wilson Nease, to maintain its chef’s garden and beehives.

“[Nease] and his crew mapped out the space and we offered input into what we would like to see planted,” says Moosmiller. The first year was filled with a lot of trial and error. “[Nease] would bring clippings of the different lettuces and plants to the kitchen, and we’d tell him what the ideal size and ripeness would be for our purposes,” Moosmiller says.

In season, SHCC’s garden now supplies about 90% of the herbs used in the kitchen. Squash, cucumbers, lettuces, peppers, okra and tomatoes are also doing well. Same goes for the blackberry bushes that yielded over 200 pounds of berries in their second year.

Taking the project one step further, Nease also set up six beehives by the garden and this year, the club harvested nearly 25 gallons of honey. “[Nease] is super-passionate about what he does,” says Moosmiller. “He knows how to grow crops and how to prevent disease. He’s very open to collaborating, too.”

Ultimately, SHCC would like to expand the garden, so the club can create a type of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program for its members.

STEPPING OUTSIDE THE KITCHEN The Country Club (TCC) in Chestnut Hill, Mass., has been tapping maple trees for as long as Joseph M. Leonardi, CMC, MAT, Director of Culinary Operations, can remember. But a few years ago, the club embarked on a project to plant a garden. Shortly after, Leonardi suggested beehives.

“Our grounds department has helped with anything we’ve needed, no matter if we’re turning dirt or planting crops or starting seedlings,” says Leonardi. TCC also has its own greenhouse where Bruce Wenning, the club’s Horticulturist, www.clubandresortchef.com

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FOOD

grows a variety of plants and flowers from seedlings for the course.

“There is so much knowledge and depth of talent within the club,” Leonardi says. “When we suggested bees, the grounds department was all for it. They’ve supported us in every way we’ve asked.”

The dynamic between the two departments has evolved to the point where the grounds crew will now pop into the kitchen, just to see what Leonardi and his team are doing with the products. “It’s brought our departments much closer together,” he says.

“We’re all invested in the success and outcome. Sometimes the guys will tell me how to cook a certain item they grew!”

Leonardi also uses the garden and beehives as teaching tools for his cooks and interns, so they can see the importance of going above and beyond for members.

“We always want the culinary experience to shine,” says Leonardi. “If we can produce something on property and pull in other stakeholders from within the team to deliver a truly unique experience for our members, it’s important that we do so, no matter if it’s honey, maple syrup or herbs and vegetables.” ” C+RC

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TCC’s Maine lobster dish with peaches features radishes and fennel from the club’s chef’s garden. (View recipe with the online version of this article.)

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BEVERAGE

RAISE YOUR GLASS

Hand-Crafted Coconuts EACH YEAR, SAWGRASS COUNTRY Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. serves hundreds of members and guests during its Fourth of July festivities. In fact, it’s one of the club’s busiest events of the year.

This past Independence Day, Clubhouse Manager Perry Kenney doubled his efforts to surprise and delight members and guests by setting up a popup bar near the beach. As members passed by, they were given Sawgrass CC’s Clubhouse Manager Perry Kenney (left) a complimentary coconut cocktail featuring a locally opened fresh coconuts that were then topped with a made, vanilla-flavored rum inside a freshly opened iced locally made vanilla rum and handed out to beach-going and branded coconut. members and guests in exchange for a little “Members are always excited to get a free drink,” says free marketing.

Kenney, who served as the muscle during the popup event, opening more than 200 coconuts during service.

“They also like to see me sweat. But the grassroots marketing more than covered the costs— and the effort.”

The coconuts cost about $5 apiece with shipping and branding, and the opening tool an additional $40. But the drinks were given away for free, so long as the members posted photos of themselves enjoying the drink on social media, and tagged Sawgrass CC in the post.

“When members host guests from Northern states, they really get into the resort feeling,” adds Kenney. “Nothing says vacation more than a drink served in a fresh coconut.” C+RC

Sawgrass CC’s

Coconut Cocktails

Sawgrass Country Club, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

INGREDIENTS Fresh, iced coconuts Madi Rum PROCEDURE: 1. Open chilled coconut a la minute.

2. Pour rum inside coconut. Stir.

3. Garnish. Serve.

COURTESY OF SAWGRASS CC

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BEVERAGE

Smooth(ie) Sailing

At The Turn Columbine CC’s new grab-and-go bar features smoothies, juices and coffees, as well as grab-and-go meals.

By Joanna DeChellis, Editor

THERE ARE MORE THAN a few things to consider when determining what beverages to serve from a club or resort snack bar.

On the one hand, speed and convenience are paramount. Golfers, swimmers and fitness fanatics are eager to get back to their activities or to their next appointment. Most of the time, they don’t want to park in the main dining room or at the bar just for a smoothie or juice.

On the other, quality, originality and flavor are important to consider. These beverages represent your club’s culinary program. They shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought.

Balancing both is challenging. But when successfully achieved, the results can transform how a club satisfies its members’ thirsts.

Take, for example, Columbine Country Club (Columbine Valley, Colo.), which opened its new clubhouse in 2017. While the new space offers members plenty of dining options, it also plays host to a café concept that features smoothies, juices, and coffees, alongside a limited menu of grab-and-go breakfast and lunch items.

Dubbed The Turn, this outlet is located just outside the club’s fitness center and within a short distance of the course. It attracts members from all parts of the property.

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The Turn at Columbine CC features smoothies, juices, coffee and breakfast and lunch grab-and-go items.

COURTESY OF COLUMBINE CC

“We have a lot of health-focused members who want smoothies that are quick, healthy, high-protein, low-sugar and freshly made,” says Executive Chef Jeff Kenser. “We do a lot of smoothie sales at The Turn especially in the early morning, because we can deliver on all of these requests—and more.”

The Turn’s “Fresh Start” menu features three smoothies on a digital menu board that hangs behind the counter.

The “Health Coach Seasonal Smooth-

ie” features strawberry, pineapple, mint, ginger, almond milk and yogurt. The “Grapefruit Green Smoothie” features banana, spinach, ginger, apple and orange juice. And the “Protein Punch Smoothie” features banana, chocolate protein powder, peanut butter, almond milk, cinnamon and dark cherry.

The menu changes seasonally, but customizable smoothies with powdered mix-ins or substitutions are always available, too. On average, The

Turn brings in just a little over $100,000 annually. (Columbine CC does $3.5 million in annual F&B.) “A lot of our members work out very early in the morning—we open at 5:30 a.m.,” says Kenser. “Before, they would go to Starbucks after their workout, but then complain about the amount of sugar or the quality of the smoothie.

They don’t do that anymore. Instead, they stop at The Turn, get their smoothie and go on with their day.” C+RC

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9/30/19 2:05 PM

PASTRY

Breaking

Bread

In-house bread baking can enhance a dining experience—but pastry teams must rise to the occasion.

By Joanna DeChellis, Editor

BREAD, FRESH FROM THE OVEN, is undeniably seductive. But the process of making bread from scratch can be time-consuming and finicky—especially in a busy club kitchen.

For most, it’s not practical or even possible to scratchmake every single bread product served at the club. But it is possible to create a limited menu of signature breads that can be used to add that special something to formal dining, wine dinners or VIP events.

At Chevy Chase (Md.) Club, Executive Pastry Chef Tracy Hoffer, CWPC, and her team produce all of the breads for the club’s formal dining room, which averages 30 covers nightly during the week. Here, Hoffer and her team produce two types of breads each day, plus the club’s signature lavish crackers.

“We do a French-style service, where runners present bread soon after members are seated,” says Hoffer, who has been with Chevy Chase for more than five years.

According to Hoffer, it’s not possible, even with a threeperson bake shop, to extend bread baking beyond formal dining to all parts of the clubhouse.

“In the winter, we could do up to 300 for dinner service in one night,” she says. “To produce bread for that many covers would be a huge waste of labor and product—not to mention that we simply don’t have the space to properly bake that much bread.”

Instead, the club relies on quality bakeries to supplement Hoffer’ scratch-made items.

By keeping bread service limited to just three to four dozen loaves of each type, each day, Hoffer and her team can be more 20

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adventurous with the breads prepared for formal dining.

“Every day we do a different style of ciabatta,” says Hoffer.

“Then, for the second bread, I leave it up to the pastry cooks to choose. It might be potato, brioche, sourdough or something else entirely.”

Success comes with practice and planning.

“We have it down to a science at this point,” says Hoffer, who will often use Chevy Chase’s process of bread baking to teach stages on how bread gets baked “in the real world.”

“When you learn bread baking in school, it’s all very precise,” she says. “On paper, it seems simple: Combine flour, water, salt, yeast, and add some time. There are nuances to master, but it’s achievable.

“But this isn’t a bakery, and we don’t have access to the same controls or equipment,” she adds. “We also don’t have as much time to focus on bread alone.”

At Chevy Chase, whichever cook is making bread that day will also produce desserts for banquet, plate for a la carte, or run the line.

“We like to show our stages how to master breads that tastes great and don’t take forever to make,” says Hoffer.

Equipment plays an important role, too. Chevy Chase’s pastry team relies on deck ovens with a steam function, to help achieve that beautiful, artisan crust. Hoffer also favors perforated sheet pans, to ensure a nicer, more uniform crust on the bottom.

“In-house bread baking is definitely possible, as long as you know your capabilities,” says Hoffer, whose favorite bread is Chevy Chase’s milk bread (view recipe online). C+RC www.clubandresortchef.com

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Chevy Chase’s milk bread (pictured) features an enriched dough made with honey, milk powder and butter. According to Pastry Chef Tracy Hoffer (pictured), it’s sweet and fatty and made in a muffin tin, so "it bakes up like a little clover.”

www.clubandresortchef.com

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April 2019 l Club + Resort Chef lCHASE 21 CLUB COURTESY OF CHEVY

9/30/19 2:04 PM

BANQUETS

Taking Buffets from So-So

to Superb Chefs are tapping into their culinary ingenuity to serve up globally inspired fare with innovative presentations.

By Amanda McCorquodale, Contributing Editor

AS “FOODIE” CULTURE TRENDS mainstream, members and guests will continue to expect more from buffets. In response, club chefs are creating more modern presentations featuring innovative, atypical “buffet” fare, to relay the fact that these are not the tired old “food assembly lines” of days gone by.

“Our buffets are more streamlined and crisper,” says Charles Kehrli, Executive Chef at The Yale Club of New York City. “They’re more exciting. We’re using smaller, lighter units with risers. We’re introducing new action stations, using induction units, coming up with clever service pieces and featuring dishes that are more modern and more global, too.”

Inspired by the “food hall” culture, The Yale Club’s buffets now feature dishes that are served directly from action stations, either by a chef or in a clever vessel that allows the preparation and presentaCharles Kehrli, Executive Chef of The tion to truly shine. “Instead of Yale Club, is inspired by the dishes and spooning a pre-prepared dish service styles found in modern food halls. out of a roll-top chafing dish, 22

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we are more likely to present two or four action stations where we will be making, for instance, cheddar grits that we top with freshly cooked short rib,” says Kehrli.

Instead of a traditional raw bar, The Yale Club offers individual mini-plates of seafood. “We’ll do rows of seafood tacos, ceviche shooters garnished with lime and served in single glasses, crab shooters served in single glasses garnished with celery stalks, and tuna tartar served on spoons,” Kehrli says. “We’ll carve intricate ice sculptures and surround them with freshly made sushi [see photo, above].”

All of these dishes and presentations invite members into the display, to explore and experiment with new flavors they might not otherwise try.

Other manned action stations at The Yale Club offer Bao Bun, lettuce wraps, lobster rolls, and burrata. And as a true sign that its buffets are a departure from those of the past, the club has even presented a vegetable carving station instead of meat, featuring a selection of squashes, slaws, and whole roasted vegetables.

LOOKS AS GOOD AS IT TASTES At Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., when Executive Chef Ed Stone serves something like www.clubandresortchef.com

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COURTESY OF THE YALE CLUB

paella on a buffet, a fuel can is used, but it’s hidden behind bricks clustered around the base of the pan.

“We also use a heat lamp above [the food] to maintain the temperature,” Stone adds. “But the bricks give the whole presentation a more rustic and modern look.”

When the occasional chafing dish is used on Baltusrol’s buffets, the club tries to add more of an a la carte presentation to what’s inside. “For example, if we’re serving swordfish, we’ll top it with a mango relish or for beef,

Action stations allow Executive Chef Michael Kearney and his cooks at the Park City Club connect with members on a more personalized level.

a red onion marmalade,” Stone says.

“The garnish adds color and a punch of flavor to proteins.”

WHERE THE ACTION IS “As club chefs, we’re constantly trying to educate and create new experiences for our members and their guests,” says Luke Livingston, Executive Chef of Indian Creek Country Club in Miami Beach, Fla. “Action stations are a great way to get to know our members, to bring our cooks out of the kitchen and to have fun with food.”

For action stations at the Park City

Baltusrol GC’s Executive Chef Ed Stone likes to use garnishes on buffets that add a punch of color and flavor. www.clubandresortchef.com

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Club in Dallas, Texas, Executive Chef Michael Kearney likes to set up two electric griddles side-by-side, to cook sliders and street tacos to order.

“The concept of ‘fresh’ and ‘made to order’ resonates with members,” says Kearney. “Being able to serve shrimp skewers or crab cakes off the grill as we talk to members about where we sourced ingredients, how we prepared them, and why we think they’ll enjoy the flavors takes the experience to a whole new level of authenticity.” C+RC October 2019 l Club + Resort Chef l 23

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MANAGEMENT

2

How

Clubs Achieve

SERVICE EXCELLENCE

Cherokee T&CC and Charlotte CC teach their teams to go beyond a rigid set of scripted rules to create a servicedriven culture that thrives on personalization and care.

By Penelope L Wong, CEC, Contributing Editor

FOR CLUBS AND RESORTS, member satisfaction takes precedence above all else. To make members happy, the teams in both the front and back of the house must do more than listen and respond. Now they must anticipate needs and surprise in creative and useful ways.

When successfully achieved, the experience for the member and guest is smooth and uncomplicated. Everyone is delighted by the details and marvels at the ‘wow’ moments.

While all clubs strive for service excellence, each achieves that end in different ways. Here are two different approaches from clubs that have been lauded for their high service standards.

CHEROKEE TOWN & COUNTRY CLUB ATLANTA, GA. At Cherokee Town & Country Club in Atlanta, Ga., service falls under the umbrella of principles and objectives 24

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embodied as the “Cherokee Standard.”

These standards are driven by four statements of Principles, says Michael Wheeler, MCM, CCE, COO & General Manager. These statements are: • Anticipate needs and exceed expectations with a sense of urgency.

• Consistently deliver superior experiences.

• Pay attention to details.

• Have heartfelt caring and respect for all.

The club’s standards are rooted in a “bottom-up” approach, where key managers as well as influential hourly staff www.clubandresortchef.com

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COURTESY OF CHEROKEE TOWN & COUNTRY CLUB

Cherokee Town & Country Club believes in a “bottom-up” approach, where key managers as well as influential hourly staff are involved in defining the specifics of service.

steakhouse not too far from the club, and even offered to call ahead and secure a table.

After Mercier’s duties were finished with the Annual Meeting, she took it one step further and drove over to the steakhouse to cover the member’s tab, without him ever seeing her.

“Sure, the member should have known about the annual meeting,” says Wheeler. “But instead of making him feel uncomfortable or unwanted, we were able to flip the coin and exceed his expectations in a way that completely surprised him.

“We will have that member for life, and he will tell everyone he knows about how Cherokee T&CC went above and beyond,” he adds.

At Charlotte (N.C.) Country Club (CCC), service standards are rooted in

three defining characteristics: Personalization, Professionalism and Care.

Like many clubs, CCC strives to be its members’ “home away from home.” In pursuit of this goal, the club emphasizes familiarity. Staff members have been trained to know members’ names, faces, arrival times, tastes, preferences and aversions.

“With the knowledge we gain, we are very good at anticipating and even exceeding expectations,” says Quinn Moe, Assistant Manager.

With so much knowledge to glean about each of its members, personalized service has become interdepartmental and communication is paramount to success. The team, across the club, shares information throughout the day so that service is consistent and collective.

CCC’s practice to identify every member by name extends to guests whenever possible.

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October 2019 l Club + Resort Chef l 25

are involved in defining the specifics of service. By including frontline employees, the results are more harmonized and inclusive, Wheeler explains.

To further the point, a manager will share a Cherokee Standard story at every single staff meeting, to illustrate how those values were put to use in a real-world example.

“By telling Cherokee Standard stories, we can better illustrate what is expected of each staff member,” says Wheeler, who went on to share an example.

During Cherokee T&CC’s annual meeting, clubhouse operations were closed to inspire maximum member attendance. But just as the meeting was getting started, a member arrived with a guest to dine in the formal dining room.

Katie Mercier, CAP, OM, Executive Assistant to Wheeler and the club’s Governing Board, approached the member to explain why operations were closed. Mercier suggested a

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COURTESY OF CHARLOTTE CC

At Charlotte CC, members and guests are addressed by name throughout the duration of their time on property. This practice helps to leave a lasting impression, says Assistant Manager Quinn Moe (right).

“Having multiple team members from different departments address our members and their guests by name throughout the duration of their visit leaves a lasting impression,” says Moe. “Oftentimes guests will not remember what they ordered, or the wine they had, but they will always remember

how we made them feel.”

This sentiment is the foundation for CCC’s service culture and it’s the top priority for Michelle Cocita, who is responsible for hiring and training CCC’s new hires. Cocita has created a standardized training program as well as a new-employee orientation procedure

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that emphasizes service standards.

“Our new hires must truly understand our culture before they even begin their first shift,” says Moe. “Our members recognize and appreciate our efforts. They are proud when our team is able to use their names as well as the names of their guests.” C+RC

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MANAGER to CHEF

Evolution, Not Revolution

Park CC’s General Manager/COO, Brad Pollak, CCM, CCE, believes supporting and inspiring team members, regardless of tenure, will lead to consistent growth.

By Joanna DeChellis, Editor

COURTESY OF PARK CC

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PARK COUNTRY CLUB IN Williamsville, N.Y. (see “How Park CC Builds On Its Grand Tradition,” Club + Resort Business, April 2018) has an active food-and-beverage program. With 550 members, the club does more than $3.6 million in annual F&B, with a 60/40 split between a la carte and banquet.

Brad Pollak, CCM, CCE, has served as Park CC’s GM/COO for the past decade and has been steadfast in supporting the growth and evolution of the club’s culinary program. In May, Pollak (who is retiring at the end of October, after more than 40 years in club management) was tasked with finding Park CC’s next Executive Chef, to help ensure continued progress and a graceful transition for the club’s F&B program into the coming decade.

C+RC: How did you begin the search

for a new Executive Chef?

Brad Pollak (BP): We contracted an industry-specific search firm and were very clear about our goals and what we wanted in a new chef. The listing was very detailed.

C+RC: Can you sum it up for us?

BP: We wanted a talented culinary professional who would work well with the current team and implement new standards and programs that would increase member satisfaction. Food quality, consistency, menu variety and speed of service were key areas of focus. We also wanted someone committed to excellence.

C+RC: Tell us about the interviews.

BP: As is the case in most clubs, we had our candidates meet with all of our key managers, to get a better understanding of Park’s culture and operation. If they made it past that round, we had them do a tasting for a committee with the sous chefs they would inherit.

C+RC: Why were these steps

especially important?

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also seen clubs evade a lot of truths about their operation. We made sure there were no surprises in the interview or the orientation process. We wanted the chef to understand exactly what he or she would be signing up for, and what would be expected.

C+RC: It all led to you hiring Michael

Sturgis, who was previously Executive Sous Chef of The Polo Club of Boca Raton (Fla.). What made him stand out?

BP: His experience, his level of talent and his time working with Executive Chef Edward Leonard, CMC, were very impressive. He was quick to understand our culture, too.

C+RC: What was his orientation like?

BP: We had [Chef] Sturgis spend a good amount of time with all key department heads, so he could better understand who was responsible for what and for how he, as Executive Chef, would interface with these people. This allowed him to learn about their struggles and see the bigger picture. We also gave him plenty of time to observe the F&B operation and meet members.

what we have here. [Chef] Sturgis is hyper-aware of our unique situation and has come up with creative ideas and solutions to use the space we have to the fullest.

C+RC: What’s his best dish?

BP: The other night he ran a clam special that was out of this world. Actually, all of his seafood is outstanding.

So is his Italian. And his Southwestern cuisine, too. He’s also really great with action stations. And farm-to-table…

C+RC: What do you respect most about Chef Sturgis?

BP: He’s willing to listen to me. I know just enough to be dangerous! He takes feedback constructively and he’s even-keeled. He’s confident and a strong leader. He’s great at listening to members and to his team, too. He’s an excellent team player, and one of the best culinarians in our industry. C+RC

C+RC: What happened next?

BP: We gave him three main goals. 1.)

Evaluate the culinary program and the team members. 2.) Restore consistency in a la carte. 3.) Reduce the club’s F&B loss by $100,000.

[Editor’s Note: Park CC subsidized F&B by $529,728 in its most recent fiscal year.]

C+RC: Is it going well so far?

BP: Extremely. Since day one, I think [Chef] Sturgis has viewed Park CC as an opportunity where he can have a profound impact.

C+RC: What makes Park CC’s culinary program unique?

BP: In a world where so many clubs are looking to tear down and rebuild to be new and trendy, we aren’t. We have an old, castle-like clubhouse that will never be renovated to be “modern.”

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE

BUSH’S BEST®— BLENDED BURGER Features:

• • • •

• A plant- and beef-based offering that looks, tastes and cooks like an allbeef burger, but has less fat and fewer calories Bush’s Best beans and mushrooms replace 40% of the beef content Has just four ingredients: beef, Bush’s Best® Great Northern Beans, mushrooms and salt One-third of Americans say they are flexitarian, mostly because it allows them to eat healthy without removing the foods they love Pre-formed, frozen 4-oz. raw patties make it easy for operators to give their guests a delicious burger that is gluten-, allergen-, dairy- and soy-free

SOUTHERN SWEETS Features:

• No artificial ingredients • Kosher certified • Praline Pecans: A Southern classic, these pecans are candied with sugar for a crispy treat you can’t resist • Praline Nut Mix: A sweet and savory mix of cashews, praline pecans and our famous butter toffee peanuts • Butter Toffee Peanuts: Always a crowd favorite, these crunchy peanuts are coated with sweet butter toffee • Southern Sweets are available in 4 oz. standup resealable bags

Truly Good Foods

704-602-0664 www.trulygoodfoods.com

Bush’s Best

www.bushsblendedburger.com

CLAREMONT CHAIRS Features:

• Eustis designed this very elegant stacking hardwood chair for the Claremont Country Club in Oakland, Calif., in July of 2013.

This spring, they took their 22nd and repeat order from the Rolling Rock Club in Pennsylvania • No other chair offers this level of elegance and comfort in a fullfunction stacking hardwood chair • No other company offers a 20-year warranty against joint failure on a stacking hardwood chair • Check out the website, and see why so many top-tier clubs are choosing Eustis Chair

Eustis Chair

www.eustischair.com

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RAPIDE CUISINE® COUNTERTOP HIGHPOWERED/HEAVY-DUTY INDUCTION RANGE Features:

• Pan Sense Technology activates the unit only when a suitable pan is placed on top • Magnetic Power System provides the highest cooking power possible of any induction range available • High-resolution TFT display instantly communicates precise power, temperature and timer settings • USB port allows chefs to download system updates and add new programmable modes

Hatco® Corporation (800) 558-0607 www.hatcocorp.com/en

www.clubandresortchef.com

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KOLDCUBE3 INSULATED REFRIGERATOR Features:

GLO-ICE SET Features:

• Banquet serving set includes clear tray, light box, mirrored skirt and sneezeguard • Light box is UL-approved for safety • Place an order online at www.gloice.com

Glo-Ice by Engineered Plastics www.gloice.com

• Transport and hold cold food safely indoors or out with or without a cord • Use indoors with standard 120 Volt electric, then unplug and use outdoor cooling system • Cutting-edge battery and solar power hold up to 4-6 hours outdoors without a cord • Provides capacity up to (22) 12 x 20 steam table pans • Heavy-duty 8-inch all-terrain swivel casters, front two with brakes • Smooth interior coved corners prevent food particle/grease buildup • Constructed with sun-reflective coating to shield the unit from sun rays

Cres Cor

www.crescor.com

CHESAPEAKE SAUCE

THE GATS FROM LIBBEY® GLASSWARE

• Newest addition to flavored mayonnaise product line • Described as “The only manufactured sauce offered to operators that captures the true essence and unique oneof-a-kind flavors of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay” • Born out of the kitchen of the Calvert House Inn—a Maryland restaurant known for its Maryland-style crab cakes • Contains freshly made mayonnaise and a proprietary blend of bold seafood seasoning commonly known and recognized to the Maryland region

• Chosen from nearly 300 entries as Libbey’s 2018 Europe Glassology award winner • Unique, classic-cut look enhances presentations with high style that commands premium price points • Inspired by both the luxurious curving forms and fine craftsmanship of Art Deco and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, evoking the electrifying feel of the Roaring Twenties in New York • Two versatile sizes, 9 3/4-oz. rocks and 11 3/4-oz. hi-ball, are ideal for embracing retro-inspired crafted cocktail trends • One of several new retro-inspired glassware options from Libbey® that help you maximize today’s and tomorrow’s premium cocktail opportunities

Features:

Tulkoff Food Products 410-262-9868 www.tulkoff.com

Features:

Libbey Foodservice

419.325.2100 www.foodservice.libbey.com

www.clubandresortchef.com

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE

PURE MAPLE SYRUP AND BUTTER LIEGE BELGIAN WAFFLES Features:

SPEEDHEAT FLAMELESS HEATING SYSTEM Features:

• Featuring zero ramp-up time and safer handling, Sterno SpeedHeat is a flameless, water-activated product that makes quick-serve drop-off catering safer and more efficient than ever • The patent-pending SpeedHeat system rapidly produces high-heat steam, keeping food heated at an ideal serving temperature • Sterno SpeedHeat is now available to the foodservice industry

• Pure maple syrup and rBST-free butter already baked in … no need to add syrup or butter to your waffles ever again • Joins family of waffle products, including Butter, Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Covered • Come in multiple sizes and packaging types, including Individually Wrapped (IW) waffles for grab ‘n go convenience and Pre-Baked Bulk Packs for foodservice • Made with all-natural ingredients • Unlike typical Brussels Belgian waffles which are made with batter, these are made with dough

Mountain Waffle Co. www.mountainwaffle.com

Sterno Products www.sternopro.com

MIRAGE® INDUCTION BUFFET WARMERS Features:

• Used for holding / warming foods for serving • Ideal for banquets and catering • Fewer cords—connect up to three units together with an inter-connect cord and only run one power cord to outlet on wall • Subtle, low-profile, attractive design • Four power levels—low, medium, high and chafer preheat • Custom decorative patterns or logos available on 16×16 units • Available in countertop and drop-in

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• Stacks up to eight high • High-strength ribbed aluminum construction • Webbed deck seat • Gasser’s multi-surface glide • Molded foam seat and back cushion • Eco-friendly powder coat • Manufactured in the USA www.gasserchair.com

www.vollrath.com

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Gasser Chair

Vollrath Company

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RECTILINEAR WOOD LEG PARAGAMI CHAIR Features:

JIMMY DEAN® PANCAKES & SAUSAGE BITES Features:

• Breakfast continues to be the fastest-growing meal occasion • 46 percent of consumers are enjoying breakfast at nontraditional times • Help kitchens enhance their all-day breakfast offerings • Fluffy pancake coating with savory sausage center and convenient format • On-the-go finger food helps drive traffic at any time of day • Fully cooked and easy to prepare in conventional ovens, microwaves, TurboChef® and convection ovens • Will hold up to four hours in a warmer

• New rectilinear hard-maple wood legs with premium metal-base glides • Steel frame understructure eliminates use of glue joints and prevents wobbly legs • Available in nine standard wood-stain finishes • Angular upholstered shell • Paragami is GREENGUARD-certified, made in the USA and backed by a 5-year structural frame warranty

MTS Seating

734.847.3875 www.mtsseating.com

Tyson Foodservice

www.tysonfoodservice.com

SMART STEP PERFORMANCE MATS Features:

• The best anti-fatigue mats • Perfect for areas where stationary standing occurs: shoe room, laundry room, kitchen, restaurant and bar • Unmatched comfort and durability • Trip-resistant edges that won’t curl • 20° gradual beveled edge (ADA-compliant) • Proudly made in the USA • Available in puzzlepiece runners • SmartTech polyurethane technology • One-piece construction • Custom branding available

Smart Step Flooring

www.smartstepflooring.com

A D I N DE X Bush Brothers & Company

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Chambers

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ChefTec

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C+RC’s 2020 Chef to Chef Conference

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Hatco Corp.

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Libbey

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Minor’s

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www.BushsBlendedBurger.com

410-727-4535 / www.chambersusa.com 303-447-3334 / www.cheftec.com www.cheftochefconference.com

888-814-0054 / www.hatcocorp.com www.foodservice.libbey.com 800-243-8822 / www.flavormeansbusiness.com

Peacock & Lewis AIA

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Pierce Chicken

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Truly Good Foods

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561-626.9704 / www.peacockandlewis.com www.poultry.com

www.trulygoodfoods.com

VGM Club

800-363-5480 / www.vgmclub.com

www.clubandresortchef.com

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CHEF’S THOUGHTS

Todd Sellaro Todd Sellaro, Executive Chef of Baltimore’s Elkridge Club, comes with an impressive (and shiny) pedigree.

Prior to his current post, a position he’s held for more than seven years, Sellaro worked in the kitchens of a number of Platinum Clubs on both the east and west coasts, including the Jonathan Club (Los Angeles), New York (N.Y.) Yacht Club and the Harvard Club of New York City.

1. You’d be surprised to learn that I am an advanced novice at chess.

I play nearly 100 games of speed chess a week, and only play at the highest computer level.

2. I want to learn more about beekeeping, because I would love to harvest the honey and serve it at the club.

3. One of my most memorable meals was when I was having dinner at Eleven Madison Park and they found out for the first time that they received 3 Michelin Stars.

Chef Daniel Humm invited me into the kitchen to celebrate.

4. My go-to drink is coffee by the gallons.

5. My last meal would be my mother’s Beef Braciole.

6. My worst culinary creation was a beer-can cabbage with cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce.

7. If I could change one thing about my club it would be to redesign the pool kitchen.

8. My favorite junk food is Taylor ham, egg and cheese with ketchup on a Kaiser roll.

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COURTESY OF ELKRIDGE CLUB

Executive Chef Elkridge Club Baltimore, Md.

The most important thing in my kitchen is “ camaraderie among the kitchen crew. ” 9. If I wasn’t a chef, I’d love to be a composer/conductor.

10. The most valuable piece of advice I’ve ever received was from the Executive Chef at the Harvard Club of New York City.

He offered three simple words: Know your timing.

11. The most ridiculous member or guest request I’ve ever had was to cook a whole turkey for Thanksgiving, then break it down, slice it and put it back together, so it looked whole and uncut when they took it home to serve it.

12. I love being a club chef because I can be flexible with my creativity.

13. When I’m not in the kitchen, I’m at the gun range, fly fishing, hunting, skiing or racing my classic Corvette.

14. My biggest mistake when I first started as a chef was not supervising the production of 300 pounds of Maryland jumbo lump

crabmeat for crab cakes. The meat got all mashed and broken up and had to be completely redone. It was an $8,000 mistake.

15. If I were stranded on a deserted island, I’d want these five foods with me: bread, cheese, butter, wild honeycomb, and grapes to make wine.

16. I cook fried pepperoni sandwiches at home, but I’d never cook it at the club.

17. If I could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, it would be with my father, who passed away when I was 15.

18. My favorite celebrity chef is Thomas Keller, because I’ve been to Per Se on six different occasions and it’s always outstanding. He is the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings from the prestigious Michelin Guide.

View the extended conversation with Chef Sellaro at www.clubandresortchef.com www.clubandresortchef.com

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