COOKING FROM THE HEART

Chef Ishrath Mackie’s Culinary Methodology Includes Tasting, Trusting, and Teamwork

by Fanny Slater

Iregularly get the privilege to sit down with highly experienced chefs and dig deep into their culinary roots. The best part? I have no idea what kind of personality will meet me on the other end of the line. Some are soft-spoken prodigies whose voices mostly come out through their food. Some are eccentric characters so immersed in the kitchen life that their first language is ingredients. And some are kind, heart-centered humans who—despite being globally-trained in both pastry and savory cuisine—are so humble and down-to-earth that when asked their favorite comfort food at the end of a long day, they readily answer with: “Hardee’s mushroom and Swiss burger!”

The flood of laughter that resulted from Chef Ishrath Mackie’s answer to my question came at the conclusion of our interview, and it summed up his light, loveable spirit in a way that I couldn’t have written better if I tried.

Chef Mackie joined the team at Savannah Lakes Village [SLV] in McCormick, SC, toward the end of last year. The member-owned sporting community is celebrated for its picturesque charm and extraordinary selection of outdoor recreation opportunities—from hiking to kayaking to a tennis program that boasts several big victories. But, it’s the arrival of a new chef that has all heads turned toward the club’s food and beverage program. Chef Mackie is an accomplished, award-winning culinary educator and Executive Chef whose decades of international experience in the resort and country club industry make him a shoe-in for the gig.

With an expert piloting the operation, the folks at Savannah Lakes are confident that shining a light on the now-fully capable dining scene will simultaneously up the club’s level of professionalism and service. They chose wisely, as Chef Mackie is a master of making food the main attraction. The scenic lakefront beauty and impressive golf courses have always been the story.

Now, the food is the story.

Chef Mackie’s guiding principles center around cooking from your heart, respecting your team members, and always, always tasting the food. A love for the culinary arts—passed onto him by his mother—is in his blood. He was, after all, preparing Indian-inspired fish stew solo at the ripe age of eight, while most kids were still learning how to tie their shoes.

And though he’s only been with Savannah Lakes for about six months, he’s already got big plans to roll out everything from a Thaithemed dinner event to a signature Monte Cristo burger named after the newly reimagined Pub at Monticello’s, featuring homemade croissant cinnamon roll buns.

Yes, you read that right.

Read on to peek inside the methodology of a well-seasoned chef who believes that patience, tasting, and teamwork in the kitchen are the blueprint for success.

We asked you to create an original recipe for Savannah Lakes Village that we could feature in this article and boy, did you deliver! Where did the inspiration come from for the Fusion Seafood Salad Extravaganza?

Sometimes you have so many flavors and ingredients in your mind as you’ve spent a lifetime in the kitchen. I wanted to dream of something that was completely different. The demographics of SLV are very diverse, and the members are always asking me when I’m going to cook my native food. So I thought that would be a good starting point for me for a recipe that could be original to the River Grille restaurant.

If you read it closely, you’ll see the Thai overtones. The only thing it’s missing that I couldn’t find is kaffir lime leaves!

You started your professional culinary and hospitality career in the resorts of Sri Lanka, but I want to go back further than that. Tell me about some of your very first memories in the kitchen around food and cooking.

I was very fortunate to have a mother who was really good at cooking. When she was pregnant with me, she used to say that all she thought about was food and baking! She was always trying new recipes, and she says that’s why I became a chef.

My mom was an inspiration to me growing up. She was cooking and baking for

All the excitement isn’t just about the food at Savannah Lakes Village small family get-togethers, and I was running around near her. So my career began from that point.

Along with the recent upgrades to the two championship golf courses, Tara and Monticello, and their respective full-service dining clubhouse facilities, Savannah Lakes Village is an amenityrich, active adult lifestyle community with something for everyone on 71,000-acre freshwater Lake Thurmond.

SLV residents have convenient access to more than 100 miles of hiking and biking trails in the 63,000 acres of state parks and national forests that surround the community. There’s also a 23,000 sq. ft. recreation and fitness center with indoor and outdoor pools, bowling alleys, tennis and pickleball complex, marina, hundreds of community docks, and over 60 activity classes, social clubs, and organizations.

To learn more about Savannah Lakes Village and the community’s spectacular golf courses, schedule a Discovery Tour to play them for yourself, go to SavannahLakesVillage.com.

The first dish I made was a fish stew that we make in Sri Lanka. I was about eight years old. I accomplished it all myself, and the cook in the household came to me and said, “You did that?” and I said, “Yes!” So it’s just been in the blood, I guess!

Once you were set on being a chef, what was your hands-on culinary path like?

In Sri Lanka, we have an apprentice system just like in Europe. As soon as you finish school and know what curriculum you want to be in, you can guide yourself toward where you want to go. I was fortunate to go to a private hotel school—which is what we call culinary school.

You learn to run an entire hotel, but at that time, you had to cook first. You couldn’t specialize in baking. You had to go through the entire culinary program first (from boning a cow to washing dishes). The school was set up like a mini-hotel with a restaurant, guests, and housekeeping—and it was run by the students. As you advanced, you were placed in different subjects and had exams. It was a pretty intense European-style program.

When I finished hotel school, I worked for an Italian chef who had a small restaurant in Sri Lanka. That was my first hands-on experience under a chef, and I loved it. After two years there, I wanted world experience and then began to work abroad but still had to climb the ladder.

When did your passion for pastries come along? And do you feel like baking is secondary to cooking for you, or do the two go hand-in-hand?

My pastry desire began at the same time as I was cooking. It was a synonymous love. I loved baking, pastries, bread, chocolate, and cake decorating and spent many years doing that. But I also love charcuterie, salads, and slow, from-scratch cooking.

When you have that experience from international kitchens, you end up learning that the foundation for good cooking is making things from scratch. When you transfer that pastry chef experience over to the kitchen and pay attention to what goes into the pot—it’s a full circle, successful recipe to be able to do both.

You’re in a region that has a heavy focus on Southern-style seafood and Lowcountry cooking. How will you inject your diverse experience here?

In just four months, we’ve done a six-course menu for Valentine’s Day, and my team got to see the breakdown of that process (from the plates to the glasses to how it’s organized). They’ve also gotten to see scratch-made lasagna, soups, sauces, and stocks. American southern-style cooking actually has a lot of French influence.

What projects have already come to fruition at SLV and what themed events are you looking forward to?

I have tons of ideas, but I can’t run this operation in an egodriven way. If you listen, you learn more. And the success I want to have first is with the members. So far, many have requested Thai food, so that’s the first special event I’d like to introduce.

I worked at the Hyatt Regency in Thailand in the 80s and opened a pastry kitchen there but fell in love with the street food! Right now, I’m getting my staff used to scratch-Asian cooking, and fortunately, we had an opportunity to cook a Thai meal for an anniversary dinner for 12. We did deep-fried fish, garlic-lemon Thai dipping sauce, and tamarind shrimp. They ate it and said, “Chef Mackie, the best Thai restaurant in town is right here!”

I’m also an avid gardener. Soon, I’ll have fruits and veggies in the gardening beds outside of the kitchen. I love living things that come out of the ground. Without the earth, there’s nothing, right?

I read that you were hoping to introduce in-house artisanal breads, pastries, and desserts. How’s that coming along?

That’s going to be phrase three! Right now, we’re in phase two, working on the Pub at Monti’s. It’s a brand-new kitchen that’s been stagnant for a while, so it’s my next project. I’d like to see a real, hearty sports bar with wings and upscale burgers (with small-batch meat from a local farmer).

About Savannah Lakes Village