CLUB CHEFS ARE RELENTLESS TRAILBLAZERS continuously seeking innovative ways to evolve and push the boundaries of their craft. In this issue, we celebrate Wes Tyler, Executive Chef of The Club at Carlton Woods (The Woodlands, Texas), who recently achieved a unique milestone.
Wes is the first-ever Certified Club Culinary Director (CCCD) through the Club + Resort Chef Association (CRCA).
Certification can be a powerful tool to showcase expertise, validate skills and set oneself apart from peers. For many chefs, certification holds immense importance. It can enhance careers and elevate the standard within an industry.
By establishing two distinct certifications—Certified Club Culinary Director (CCCD) and Certified Club Executive Chef (CCEC)—we are marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of club culinary and club chefs. Each certification recognizes the unique demands and complexities of the roles they are named after. They both serve as a benchmark for excellence in our distinct niche.
In order to achieve certification, Wes underwent an extensive application process and peer review that required submission of a detailed portfolio showcasing his achievements, competency and contributions to the industry. Letters of recommendation were also submitted.
By successfully achieving this certification, he has set a precedent for other club chefs. He has opened doors to numerous opportunities, not just for his own career but also for the industry as a whole.
Throughout the process of developing these certifications, I have gained valuable insights, with one lesson standing out: Certification is only as important as those who recognize it.
Knowing this, I sought feedback from club chefs I greatly respect and admire, including Rich Hoffman, Gordon Maybury, Nelson Millán, Scott Craig, Kevin Walker, Lance Cook, Michael Matarazzo and many others. Their engagement and willingness to share their thoughts and experiences allowed me to delve deep into what this certification should entail, why it is essential, and how it can best serve the industry. Their feedback has been instrumental in shaping a certification that carries weight and relevance, ensuring it aligns with the expectations and demands of club chefs.
These certifications don’t belong to me; they belong to you, the dedicated club chefs whose unwavering commitment and passion continue to shape and elevate the industry’s importance, influence and distinctiveness. I hope they serve you in meaningful ways.
For those interested in achieving certification, visit association.clubandresortchef.com/certification to learn more and apply.
EDITOR
Joanna DeChellis jdechellis@wtwhmedia.com 412-260-9233
By Scott Craig, CEC, CCA, WCMC, Contributing Editor
IN THE FAST-PACED WORLD of club kitchens, e ective time management is crucial for success. To meet the demands of their roles, club chefs must optimize their time and maximize productivity. This article explores valuable time-management strategies that can help club chefs streamline their tasks, enhance e ciency and elevate their culinary operations.
Club chefs face numerous responsibilities, so it’s crucial to identify the most critical and time-sensitive. Create a comprehensive daily to-do list or use a digital task-management tool to organize and prioritize tasks based on deadlines and potential impact on the operation.
Identify areas where team members can take on responsibilities such as food preparation, inventory managemen or overseeing specific sections of the kitchen. Delegating tasks not only alleviates the chef’s workload but also cultivates a sense of ownership and fosters growth among the sta . E ective communication, training, feedback and encouragement empower the sta , leading to increased productivity and e ciency. Delegating responsibilities also prepares team members for larger roles in the future.
Implement strategies such as seasonal menu rotations, ingredient crossutilization and standardized recipes to save time and streamline operations. Design menus that optimize ingredient
availability and minimize waste, reducing the time spent sourcing ingredients, developing new recipes and ensuring consistency. Collaborate with the culinary team and gather member feedback to curate menus that cater to their preferences. Planning menus for satellite operations to share the same preparations can also save time.
Establish strong relationships with reliable suppliers and develop a comprehensive ordering system to ensure timely delivery of quality ingredients. Implement inventory management software or systems to accurately track stock levels, minimize waste and automate reordering processes. Regularly review inventory usage patterns to optimize purchasing decisions. Conduct regular audits to identify slow-moving or obsolete items and adjust ordering accordingly. Consider using automated inventory systems to lighten the burden of monthly inventory, cost-tracking and order placement.
Allocate specific blocks of time for di erent tasks or activities using time-blocking techniques. Designate focused periods for menu planning, sta management, administrative tasks and creative culinary endeavors to minimize distractions and work e ciently. Utilize productivity tools such as project management software, scheduling apps and automation platforms to streamline operations, improve collaboration and save time. Explore tools specifically catered to the hospitality industry.
Regularly evaluate time-management strategies and seek feedback from the team and members to identify areas for improvement. Attend professional development workshops, seminars or culinary conferences to learn time management and organizational skills from industry experts. Cultivate a culture of learning and growth within the team, encouraging sta to participate in training programs or workshops to enhance their skills and e ciency. Embrace adaptability and flexibility, adjusting priorities and strategies swiftly in response to unexpected situations. Embrace technological advancements that simplify processes, automate repetitive tasks and streamline communication.
Physical and mental well-being is crucial for maintaining high productivity and e ciency. Ensure adequate breaks, schedule time for relaxation, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. When well-rested and mentally refreshed, chefs approach tasks with increased focus and energy.
By setting clear priorities, delegating tasks to team members, streamlining menu planning and inventory management, utilizing time-blocking techniques and other productivity tools, and continuously enhancing strategies, club chefs can master the art of time management. C+RC
Cullasaja Club’s Executive Chef, Scott Craig, shares seven strategies for club chefs.
6
There are no shortcuts to true excellence for Executive Chef Wes Tyler and the culinary team of The Club at Carlton Woods.
Club chefs talk kitchen reno regrets, design trends with staying power and the equipment they’re making room for.
Three club chefs use shifting seasons (and tastes) to innovate their signature creations.
With nostalgia and innovation top of mind, club pastry chefs share member-favorite frozen treats for the season—and their go-to summer selections.
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Clubs can transform wine-by-the-glass programs with diverse selections, perfect pairings and innovative preservation methods.
Maintaining a separate space reserved exclusively for special events is a win-win for club chefs and banquet teams.
As Executive Chef of Colonial CC, Cynthia Romstadt’s tasked with placing culinary at the center of operations during the club’s $100 million renovation.
IN THE WORLD OF club culinary, the path to excellence knows no shortcuts. Greatness demands a dedicated team, steady and inspired leaders, an unwavering commitment to the task at hand, and the relentless pursuit of member satisfaction.
The culinary team at The Club at Carlton Woods (The Woodlands, Texas) understands this all too well. They know that excellence cannot be achieved by taking the easy road. Instead, they embrace challenges, focus on the details, and continually seek to elevate themselves and their operation. Every dish they create, every table they set, and every event they host is a testament to their commitment and a reminder that true greatness is born from perseverance and hard work.
Wes Tyler, CCCD, WCMC, CEC, CCA, has been the Executive Chef of The Club at Carlton Woods for the past three years. Prior to this role, he served as Executive Sous Chef under the club’s former Director of Culinary, Russell Scott, CMC.
“I had been serving as the interim Executive Chef for a few months when I put my name in the hat for the position,”
says Tyler. “The club decided to go in a different direction and bring in a Master Chef certified through the American Culinary Federation. When they announced that Chef [Scott] would be our new Exec, I had a choice to make—I could find an Executive Chef role at another club or I could take the Exec Sous role and use it as an opportunity to learn from one of the best chefs in the industry.”
Humbly choosing the latter proved to be a career-changing move for Tyler and a huge benefit to Carlton Woods. He was able to refine his skills and his management capabilities, gain a valuable mentor, and earn new credentials through both the ACF and World Association of Chefs’ Societies. He also introduced a number of new programs similar to those he was involved with during his time working for Executive Chef Jeff Baker at The Clubs at Houston Oaks (Hockley, Texas), including beehives, a garden, canning and preservation programs, house spice mixes and more.
“We were beginning to connect the food on the plate to the member experience,” says Tyler.
When Scott decided to move on, Tyler was the most capable and obvious candidate.
There are no shortcuts to true excellence for Executive Chef Wes Tyler and the culinary team of The Club at Carlton Woods.
“Chef [Scott] became a mentor to me at an important point in my career,” says Tyler. “I am extremely fortunate to have been able to work with and learn from him.”
Blending the many lessons he learned from Scott and other culinary leaders, Tyler was poised to usher Carlton Woods into a whole new era.
Tyler’s first challenge as Executive Chef was establishing a post-pandemic culinary team. The culture had been rocked, so Tyler took a pragmatic, thoughtful approach to rebuilding. His first hire was Adam Jemmott who was named Executive Sous Chef based on his experience working in both restaurants and clubs. Together the two set to work creating a new culture.
“We spent almost a year and a half rebuilding the team,” says Tyler, who was steadfast in finding the type of person he believed would best align with what he envisioned. “We passed over plenty of overqualified candidates because they weren’t the right fit or didn’t share our same goals and philosophies.”
A new trend emerged. Tyler began hiring underqualified
candidates because they had more potential and were eager to learn.
“We hired the right people, not the most available ones,” he says. “And while we waited to find those individuals, [Jemmott and I] sacrificed and picked up the slack wherever needed. That’s how invested we are in this culture and this team.”
Two years later, Carlton Woods is fully staffed with 27 culinary and 30 front-of-house employees, each as driven and passionate as Tyler and Jemmott.
“It’s cliché to say we have ‘a culture of excellence,’” says Steve Salzman, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer. “That’s not our culture. Our culture is investing in that one little extra thing that makes a difference. Everyone on this team takes that extra step. And the staff’s connectivity leads to incredible outcomes.”
According to Salzman, who has been with the club for eight years, Tyler has built a “powerhouse culinary team” from exec sous to the dishwashers. Each individual brings something unique to the table, and the collective ability to retain what they learn and evolve to further fulfill member’s needs is unlike anything he’s seen in his decades-long career.
“Golf might be what brings a member to Carlton Woods,” Salzman says. “But the dining experience is the glue. When a member first comes for dinner, it will be amazing. The more that member comes back, the more amazing the experience gets.”
Today, Carlton Woods does $6.5 million in annual F&B with a 40/60 split between a la carte and banquet. The club has 771 members, 15 dining outlets and two di erent clubhouses. They run a 43% food cost and average 1,500 covers per week in a la carte
There are a lot of moving pieces with an operation of this size and scope, but Tyler is diligent about getting everyone on his team to row in the same direction. He does this by encouraging autonomy within a framework of growth.
“Without a good team, a great chef is nothing,” he says. “I strive to teach what I have learned, just as my mentors did for me. I also prioritize providing culinary freedom in the kitchen, and I positively reinforce their strengths.”
As this happens, the team’s skill sets evolve, and each begins to learn from those around them.
“When the student becomes the teacher, they develop a sense of ownership in all they do,” says Tyler.
The club’s a la carte menu changes quarterly with the seasons. Additionally, there are weekly featured menus at each clubhouse, with up to six new items. This totals nearly a dozen new dishes between both clubhouses weekly.
“Utilizing the weekly menus provides us with a valuable opportunity to gauge the dishes that resonate with our members,” explains Tyler. “Engaging in collaborative discussions with our culinary teams and supervisors also empowers the team to take ownership of the menus and elevate their craft from its core.”
Tyler’s culinary philosophy embraces a simple yet profound approach: Source the finest-quality ingredients, run with the seasons, and execute at a high level. However, beneath its seemingly e ortless facade lies the undeniable truth that simplicity is never easy to achieve.
Executive Chef Wes Tyler (top left) consistently seeks opportunities to educate his team, delving into the intricacies of whole- sh butchery, advanced sauce-making techniques, and mastering the art of plating.
“Chef’s attention to detail is remarkable,” says Director of Operations Maria McGinty, who first worked with Tyler at Houston Oaks and supported his transition to Executive Chef of Carlton Woods. “He takes his leadership role very seriously and knows that he lives in a fishbowl. His team learns from what they see—and they see him refining, planning and being thoughtful about everything he does.”
McGinty believes this characteristic is most evident on the plate.
“The pandemic pushed us to focus on plate service,” says McGinty. “When we reopened, members did not want buffets, so we leaned into that. As an operator, I’d rather invest in more people in the kitchen creating beautiful plates of food rather than put out a bu et and hope that there’s something there that each member likes.”
The team understands the importance of catering to member needs and preferences, which is why chefs are encouraged to engage in meaningful conversations with members.
“Our goal as a club is to provide a well-rounded platform that o ers memorable moments and great opportunities tailored for each and every one of our members to enjoy,” says Tyler.
Whether it’s an Esco er dinner, The Chevron Championship or the Past Champions’ Dinner with Thomas Keller and his team working alongside the Carlton Woods team, Mother’s Day brunch or Friday night a la carte service, the team strives to execute at a high level. That is how they define success.
“We have achieved almost all of our short-term goals,” says Tyler. “Our team is solid, our fundamentals are in good order, our operation is on a positive trajectory, the members are extremely supportive, we continue to grow, and have solidified our position among the best in the industry.
“It’s important for us to continue to remain consistent, innovative, and push the culinary precincts as we move forward,” says Tyler. “As a whole, having fun, challenging ourselves in new ways and exploring our passions remains a focus.” C+RC
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CLUB
with a dual focus: meeting current food-and-beverage requirements while proactively anticipating and addressing future needs. For many clubs, this means expanding the back-of-house footprint, making room for enhanced banquet and pastry operations, garde manger and pizza programs while optimizing e ciency with new, modern equipment.
During his four-year tenure as Executive Chef of Belleair Country Club, Paul Liptak, CEC, has spearheaded mul-
tiple renovations and upgrades to the culinary facilities. Under his leadership, the main kitchen, largely untouched since 1976, underwent a comprehensive renovation in 2020. A year later, Belleair revitalized ‘The 19th Hole’ restaurant’s kitchen. And most recently, the club completed a renovation of one of its two snack shacks with plans to renovate the second shack later this summer.
While Liptak has done kitchen renovations at clubs in the past, the work done at Belleair, in its main kitchen in particular, was “by far the biggest.”
The primary goal of the renovation was to improve flow and e ciency and to better serve the club’s 3,000 members. This also meant investing in new equipment, such as a 1400°F infrared broiler. “We do a fair amount of prime steaks a la carte,” says Liptak. “[The broiler] took our steaks to a whole other level. We could add a nicely seared crust and improve overall texture and cook time.”
The club also invested in a “high-end, programmable Italian pressure cooker [for] pressure-cooking meats, short ribs,
stocks for sauces,” he adds, which has drastically improved consistency, as well as a pressure braising pan, combi ovens with built-in hood systems and countertop pizza ovens.
“I can cook a pizza from raw to ready to serve in about two-and-a-half minutes,” Liptak says.
The club’s main menu now features artisan pizzas crafted with a signature sourdough crust. Current options include ‘pizza bianco,’ featuring stracciatella, pickled Bermuda onions, toasted pistachios, and rosemary sourced directly from the club’s on-site herb garden, and ‘pizza burrata’ with heirloom tomatoes, burrata, fresh basil pesto and extra virgin olive oil.
“We saw a need for more casual food, and [pizza] is a natural fit,” says Liptak. “We went from no pizzas on the menu to about 300 [pies] a week.”
Liptak says he was fortunate to have full support from Belleair CC’s leadership team and members throughout each renovation. “I am very comfortable moving through the dining room and in meeting with the members,” he notes, an element of the job he says is “instrumental, especially in a club environment.”
Similarly, Executive Chef Michael Matarazzo, CEC, says Farmington’s Country Club’s membership helped push through plans for the Charlottesville, Va.-based club’s $10.5 million
kitchen renovation project, which it completed in 2020.
“I was fortunate,” says Matarazzo. “When I [joined as Executive Chef], I was told that surveys were given out periodically to the membership for the past several years to ask them to prioritize their top capital projects for the next 10 years. And on all of those surveys, the majority voted for a new kitchen.”
He notes that not all memberships know the value of a well-designed, upto-date back-of-house. Fortunately for Matarazzo, the renovation was a long time coming, and members were ready. Fortunately for the club, Matarazzo’s a reno pro; this was his fifth kitchen design project.
One of Matarazzo’s most e ective strategies is to engage in mental visualization during the design process by immersing himself in the space.
“Follow the flow of everything you do in your operation and review it in your head repeatedly,” he says. “Once construction begins, after the crew goes home each day, physically walk through the space, keeping in mind where each piece of equipment will go, to catch any potential mistakes.”
Above all, Matarazzo says, clubs must ensure the chef is heavily involved throughout the design process.
“I was given complete autonomy to design this kitchen, and we now have
the ideal kitchen for our operation,” he says. “I have seen other general managers or food-and-beverage directors dictating what is or isn’t needed in the kitchen. More times than not, you end up with a kitchen that doesn’t work for the chef who you hired to do the job.”
The primary goal of Farmington’s renovation was to expand the available space, with a particular focus on storage. The banquet kitchen underwent a remarkable transformation, increasing its size from 1,100 square feet to an expansive 7,000 square feet. Additionally, the renovation prioritized enhancing employee areas, such as break rooms and locker rooms, to ensure a comfortable and accommodating environment for the team.
Farmington’s original banquet kitchen had two ovens, six burners and one deep fryer, notes Matarazzo. Today, it features 12 burners, four deep-fryers, an indoor smoker, nine ovens, a chargriller, a flat-top grill, a salamander, a tilt skillet and a steam kettle.
“The combi ovens are invaluable to us,” he notes. “And we can’t live without the indoor smoker because we do a lot
of barbecue. That’s a huge one for us. … We also installed a custom cooling well that cools our stocks and soups. It has its own dedicated ice machine that dumps directly into the unit.” This streamlined setup significantly enhances Farmington’s e ciency.
Farmington also added a dry-aging cabinet, allowing for the implementation of a “wildly popular” dry-aging program. “And our pasta extruder created a new featured section on one of our menus in our more upscale restaurant,” Matarazzo adds.
Among the most notable changes is the expansion of Farmington’s pastry program, with a shop that doubled in size since the renovation.
“We did have a dedicated shop [pre-renovation],” says Matarazzo, “but it was not independently temperaturecontrolled, so we were limited on our menus. … Adding that space and hiring [Executive Pastry Chef Mellisa Root] and her team has had a huge impact. It was an amenity-driven decision to make sure we have the highest-quality pastries in the country.”
Small in scale but big in impact is a 180-square-foot space dedicated to members with severe allergies. Matarazzo says he expects other family-friendly clubs to follow suit, given today’s allergen prevalence.
Down the line, Matarazzo also expects to see an increase in 100% electric kitchens.
“There are already counties and major cities around the country that have mandated all commercial kitchens switch to electric,” he says. “I think that’s something chefs are going to want to think about.”
Overall, Matarazzo says the newly designed back of house has been a “complete game-changer” for the
operation in terms of functionality, flexibility and future growth.
“That’s the best part—there’s space for us to add new toys,” he says.
Richard Brumm, WCEC, CEC, CCA, AAC, Executive Chef of Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Springs, Fla., shares a similar perspective with Matarazzo when it comes to kitchen design. Brumm emphasizes the importance of anticipating the future requirements of the facility. By prioritizing forward-thinking design, he ensures that the kitchen remains adaptable and equipped to meet the evolving needs and expectations of the club.
“For example,” he says, “the first renovation we did when I came on board was a new member bar: 60-80 covers, small plates, appetizers, basically a predinner space. And that’s what we built.”
But from the first night it was open, he says, members wanted to use it as a regular, more traditional dining venue. Today, the kitchen does 180-220 covers per night in-season.
“I’ve renovated that specific kitchen six times since it was built to try to get it to the point where it can produce at the level the members want,” says Brumm. “As we’ve built kitchens after that, we’ve gotten better and better at designing them for what we need.”
Bonita Bay Club’s next project is a full rebuild of its second clubhouse, slated to start this summer.
“The [Naples Club] used to be in the middle of nowhere,” says Brumm. “Over the past 12 years, the sprawl of Naples has brought the city around the club. As that area expands and grows, the dynamics of our membership will also
change. We need a facility with the infrastructure to eventually do dinner, breakfast and more extensive banquet operations.”
The new kitchen will feature a dedicated banquet facility and a garde manger space. But pastry will be done out of Bonita Bay’s central hub, along with pasta production and some other from-scratch operations—a system Brumm finds most e cient.
Construction is expected to take a year, he says. And while some of the current equipment is still functional, the question becomes whether the cost of proper, temperature-controlled storage outweighs purchasing new equipment.
“What we’re finding, especially with some of the older pieces, is that it’s more fiscally sound to let it go,” says Brumm. “So we’re looking at donating some items to our local culinary schools and local nonprofits, trying to do some good for the community.”
When it comes to these types of considerations, Brumm adds, chefs should beware of value engineering during the initial design process—a lesson he learned the hard way.
“It’s important to decide whether the cost-savings on the front side is really beneficial in the long run,” he says. “When you’re building a new kitchen, you must think 10, 20, 30 years down the line. Is it going to stand the test of time?” C+RC
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CLUB CHEFS ARE COMMITTED to creating unforgettable culinary experiences for members and guests. They deftly navigate ever-changing seasons, food trends, sta ng challenges and the constant ebb and flow of available products to deliver consistency, quality and value.
These chefs are fueled by the relentless pursuit of member satisfaction. They refuse to settle for “good enough.” Instead, they are on a mission to transform their best-selling dishes into something even more remarkable.
Club chefs possess a deep understanding of the significance of member preferences and expectations in their pursuit of crafting exceptional dining experiences.
“I introduced a ‘Bang Bang Shrimp’ [see photo, above],” says Mark Shoup, Executive Chef of The Springhaven Club in Wallingford, Pa., “and I think if I tried to pull it o the menu, I’d be out of a job.”
Shoup’s awareness of his members’ cherished dishes and tastes is pivotal in his menu development process. Recognizing the sacred nature of certain dishes within the club realm, Shoup acknowledges that attempting to modify or remove them would provoke a vehement response from members.
“In the club world, sometimes there are dishes that can’t be touched,” he says. “Members would be throwing fits if you tried to modify or remove them.”
Nevertheless, Shoup remains committed to innovation and reinvention, constantly seeking opportunities to elevate popular dishes like salmon and scallops. “We strive to reinvent them quarterly,” he says.
Fueling his creative journey, Shoup draws inspiration and insight from his fellow club chefs on social media platforms like LinkedIn. “I watch a lot of what my fellow club chefs are doing,” he says. “If something sparks my interest, I’ll give it my little twist or shake it around completely.”
By blending a deep understanding of member preferences
with an unwavering commitment to reinvention, Shoup exemplifies the artistry and dedication behind crafting unforgettable dining experiences for members and guests.
Matthew Kornfeld, Executive Chef of The Hamlet Golf and Country Club in Commack, N.Y., has mastered the art of updating best-selling dishes to reflect the seasons and evolving palates of members.
“Our members love burrata and duck,” he says. “As the seasons and menus change, my culinary team and I change how each element is prepared and presented.”
Harnessing the core ingredients of these member favorites, Kornfeld and his team explore various iterations of the dishes. “We have been playing with Peking duck for two menu changes now, first curing and confiting duck legs, then finishing in hoisin with a refreshing scallion, basil, sesame and cucumber salad,” he says. “For our early summer menu, we’ve pivoted to DIY Peking duck roll-ups with all the classic accompaniments.”
As a New York native, Kornfeld’s deep-rooted knowledge of local crops and available ingredients is a valuable asset to the process. “Being on Long Island my whole life, I am very in touch with our seasonal ingredients,” he says. “I follow the food that’s local throughout the seasons and often let it be the star of the dish.”
By embracing seasonality, Kornfeld surprises members while upholding sustainability practices. One standout creation highlighting this approach is his “activated coconut and onion ash vinaigrette” for Hamlet G&CC’s cold-roasted cauliflower dish, which has become incredibly popular.
“We make a vinaigrette from activated charcoal, Sherry vinegar, shallots, Dijon, and maple,” says Kornfeld. “It’s fun and di erent for the members to see a jet-black vinaigrette and taste something new and di erent at their club.”
Experimentation becomes even more important if there’s a popular dish that just can’t be beaten. One such dish belongs to Jeremy Leinen, Executive Chef of the Country Club of Rochester (N.Y.), and it combines scallops and bacon.
“I’ve done a couple of iterations of it, with one involving cooking slab bacon sous vide until it’s extremely tender, then serving it glazed with barbecue sauce,” says Leinen. “The other iteration I’ve gravitated toward lately involves simply grilling a thick slice of the slab bacon.”
Leinen says plating greatly a ects how a dish is received, and o ers an opportunity to dress up old standards. “Based on the venue I’m serving the dish in, I can dress it up or down,” says Leinen. “The potatoes might be piped very simply, or I might be a little more elaborate with the pre-
sentation and smear it as the base of the dish, run a comb through it and char it with a torch.”
Club chefs grapple with incorporating new ingredients, techniques, and flavors, blending tradition with contemporary elements. “Clubs are always filled with members who remember the ‘good ol’ days’ and want it that way every time,” says Shoup. But he also has members who seek modern applications.
“They are going to challenge you to try new things and want to talk to you about a meal they recently had at some trendy restaurant,” he says.
“No matter how elevated some of our dishes may be, we still have the classics that most club members have been eating their whole lives,” says Kornfeld, “for example, a simple crispy half-roasted chicken served with house-made white tru e potato croquettes, French beans, and a chicken jus.”
Leinen found a way to use a traditional dish as a palette for creative freedom in the form of a salad niçoise
“When you research this dish and its origins in Provence, it’s pretty unrefined peasant food, but you can easily refine it and dress it up to fit in a more formal dining room,” says Leinen. “Certain ingredients simply have to be on the plate to meet the expectations of a member ordering a salad niçoise, but there’s plenty of room to be able to exercise a little creativity in the presentation.”
All three chefs agree: A garnish is never an easy way out.
“I think garnishes are great when they add to the dish, but I’m not big on garnishing just for the sake of garnishing,” says Leinen. “Putting a mound of microgreens on a dish never made it better.”
Shoup agrees. “Garnishes have to be enhancements to the dish,” he says. “I don’t use garnishes merely for appearance; if it’s on the plate, it’s intended to be eaten.”
“I love using only edible garnishes,” adds Kornfeld. “We currently use marigold, borage, a lla cress, di erent types of sorrel, and pansies.”
Kornfeld also likes to find ways to push his edible garnishes into unexpected presentations.
“We utilize di erent molded tuiles infused with flavors,” he says. “We make foams using soy lecithin, caviar from balsamic vinegar, very dark, vibrant green herb oils, and gels using agar-agar and various gums.”
The balancing act of feeding both tradition and improvement isn’t easy. Awareness of seasonal produce, innovative cooking and plating techniques, and unexpected pairings allow these chefs to build on their best-selling, signature dishes. With these tools in hand, these clubs are able to captivate members’ attention and enhance the dining experience. C+RC
CAN YOU HEAR IT? It’s that unmistakable sound of summer: the laughter of children with cherry ice-stained fingers and adults trying to keep pace with their melting triple-scoop cones.
Be it dish or cup, cone or stick, frozen treats are a seasonal staple that never gets old—and that members are never too old to enjoy.
As pastry chefs head into the cooler to pick out this year’s selection, they reveal which flavors are still tops, what new creations they’ll introduce this summer, and what they crave when they visit the ice cream truck.
Pastry Chef Lindsay Webb has Girl Scout cookies on the brain, much to the delight of members at Springfield (Va.) Golf & Country Club. In 2011, she concocted a caramel-toasted almond chocolate flake ice cream—or “Faux’Moa” as she calls it—inspired by the classic Samoa cookie.
Before heading up SGCC’s pastry department five years ago, Webb honed her cake-decorating skills as an assistant pastry chef at Chevy Chase (Md.) Country Club from 2006-2015, followed by a stint at a family-owned bakery where she specialized in 3D and
fondant-based cakes. Today, her innovations are a perk for players fresh o the green in search of a sugar rush.
“This season, we are featuring a loaded doughnut named after golf vocabulary (fried egg, double bougie, ball marker, etc.) that rotate biweekly,” she notes. An ice cream sandwich doughnut incorporates her Faux’Moa ice cream and threatens to out-stage perennial favorites: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and orange sherbet. Webb also makes gourmet flavors like blackberry fennel, lemon cardamom and French toast for wine dinners and other special events.
In SGCC’s dining room, ice cream soda floats, milkshakes and sundaes atop house-made fudge brownies are staples, with the latter two accounting for $8K+ in annual revenue last year. (The pool canteen pulls in another $6K+ with its eight-item selection of novelty bars.) Rising dairy costs have not deterred the club’s ice cream production. Webb also relies on an onsite beehive and garden to source honey and lavender for syrups and sugars for her seasonal, fine-dining dessert menu.
When indulging in her frozen dessert fantasy, Webb recalls her childhood Mister Softee experience. “When I saw one of their ice cream trucks here in
Springfield, I immediately remembered my order, which still pleases me to this day,” she says: “chocolate soft serve on a wa e cone with chocolate sprinkles.”
At Norfolk (Va.) Yacht & Country Club, summer arrives in a chilled bowl of fresh flavors straight from the Philippines. It’s where Pastry Chef Jennifer Umstot dishes out her version of the frozen
With both nostalgia and innovation top of mind, club pastry chefs share memberfavorite frozen treats for the season—and their go-to summer selections.
dessert ‘halo-halo,’ made with crushed ice, evaporated milk and ube ice cream, whose signature hue comes from purple yams. “This dessert will transport you to a summer island getaway,” she says of her recipe, which has become an eyecatching addition to the seasonal menu.
Umstot has been sharing her culinary talents with Norfolk Yacht & CC’s members for three years after designing desserts for local bakeries and restaurants. She relishes the luxury of logistics that were not possible in her former locales: a more flexible food cost and profit margin.
While Umstot outsources ice cream production due to the high volume and time constraints, she puts her own spin on presentation and creative pairings. The club typically carries between six and eight ice cream flavors, along with three to five gelato flavors at any given time. Current selections include strawberry, ube and brown butter pecan, along with vanilla, chocolate and co ee. Umstot relies on her main supplier for a French roast co ee with brownie cookie that she uses as part of a trio that includes strawberry shortcake and cookies and cream.
Last summer, Umstot created ice cream sandwiches with chocolate crinkle cookies and chocolate peppermint gelato. Another fan favorite, co ee
ice cream cake, was inspired by a club member who attended a cupcake-decorating class. “I always ask what [members] would like to see on the dessert menu,” she says. “Sometimes, I name the desserts after them. They love it!”
Milkshakes are also on the roster, with fun flavors throughout the year. Past selections have included eggnog, Bisco cookie, and mint chocolate. But when it comes to what Umstot would choose from an ice cream truck, she prefers a classic. “I do love a good strawberry shortcake,” she says.
Ice cream connoisseurs at The Polo Club of Boca Raton (Fla.) will relish the latest frozen indulgence created by Executive Pastry Chef Devin Cowan. He has assembled an interactive ice cream pop setup for an upcoming menu where members can elevate vanilla, chocolate or strawberry pops with various chocolate couverture dips. Assorted toppings
can be heaped on, but quickly—before the chocolate hardens.
“I try my best to keep both our members engaged and my team learning new things,” says Cowan. Just two years into his role at The Polo Club, he is making his mark at his first private club experience after spending years at highend resorts and pastry boutiques.
When not staging a showstopping frozen dessert performance, Cowan immerses himself in the world of ice cream with an all-in style. “Although many of my recognitions and awards are in chocolate and patisserie, my heart always gravitates to ice cream,” he says. “Members often ask if I eat all the creations I make; I taste all of them for consistency, but ice cream, I actually eat.”
Top flavors made in-house run the gamut, from Indonesian bourbon vanilla—each batch contains 16 whole vanilla beans—to mint Oreo and apple cobbler. Cowan prides himself on paying close attention to texture and flavors while avoiding compounds and artificial flavorings.
Florida promises a hot and busy summer, and Cowan plans accordingly, keeping a close eye on dairy costs, and seeking out opportunities to work with local farms and creameries. But if May’s ice cream production of 86 gallons is any indication, members can expect an equally active season. Of course, Cowan will still make time for sampling the goods in and out of the kitchen.
“Because I love touches of nostalgia,” he says, “if the local ice cream truck stopped at my pastry shop, I’d have to take a bite out of a Pink Panther pop.” After all, it’s just part of the job. C+RC
WHEN
GLASS programs, there’s no need to be mundane or predictable. In fact, in clubs, we are pleasantly surprised when members request an upgrade to our wine-by-the-glass o erings. If your club is looking to establish relevance with its existing program or embark on developing one, recognizing member needs is just the first step.
While developing your wine-by-the-glass program, there are a few crucial questions to consider:
What is the purpose of the program?
You may be missing the mark if the primary goal is to expand wine selections. Let’s delve into the aspects of variety and choice.
Who is your target market?
Are you catering to the needs of existing connoisseurs, attracting new influencers, or enhancing your current food and beverage program?
Is your goal to boost wine sales?
When properly costed out, wine-by-the-glass programs can be highly profitable.
Chardonnay and Cabernet are likely to be the most-requested varietals on your list, but it’s essential to conduct a thorough analysis of your product mix to identify the top sellers. Interestingly, approximately 340,000 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon are planted worldwide and around 211,000 hectares of Chardonnay. While this may seem conventional, it is often an excellent place to start. Not only are these varietals popular, but they also o er a wide range of styles. For instance, a Rombauer Chardonnay di ers vastly from a Domaine William Fèvre Chablis, and a Faust Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet is light-years away from a quality vintage Château Margaux. The key is to capitalize on the diverse styles, even if it means featuring multiple selections from the same grape varieties.
Once you’ve covered the basics, it’s time to explore the cellar and get creative. With approximately 10,000 wine-producing grape varieties worldwide, you can craft a relevant program that will excite your members and guests. However, selecting these options can be overwhelming, so consider polling your members for input.
It’s advisable to feature major wine-producing regions such as Burgundy (o ering Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), Bordeaux (o ering Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, and Malbec), Mosel (Riesling), the Loire Valley (Muscadet, Chenin blanc, Sancerre aka Sauvignon Blanc), Spanish Rioja (Grenache and Tempranillo), Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, and the good ol’ USA.
Don’t forget to consider your cuisine. This presents an incredible opportunity to create perfect pairings and excite the culinary team. Matching food and wine enhances the overall member experience, and wine-by-the-glass programs serve as an excellent gateway to introduce members to new styles.
For example, a beautifully prepared shrimp tempura with a cool papaya salad is an extraordinary match for Crémant d’Alsace. C+RC
Read the full article: club-and-resort-chef.com/ revamping-your-wine-by-the-glass-program
Clubs can transform wine-by-the-glass programs with diverse selections, perfect pairings and innovative preservation methods.
MEMBERS ARE LOVING FIRE WITHIN OUTDOOR WOOD-FIRED PIZZAS!
classy, it’s mobile and
is out-of-this-world delicious.”
• Imagine the delight of your golfers when they stop at the 9th and get a slice of amazing wood-fired pizza... on the golf course.
• Catering outdoors at the latest party, event or wedding with our unique Wood-Fired Pizza Oven is always a major hit with members.
• All your Members, mature and young alike will love your new Outdoor Wood-Fired Pizza service.
• Portable, authentic wood-fired 900 degree ovens, built to last, proven and Professional Chefs love our ovens!
“It’s
the pizza
FULL—literally. Whether planning event menus, sourcing ingredients, or executing orders for hundreds of covers in one sitting, the frenetic pace often threatens to upend itself. It’s no wonder culinary departments with their own banquet kitchens can convert chaos into calm, with dedicated space that allows the team to do their best work unencumbered.
Boosting productivity in the kitchen is the mission for any culinary professional. For Executive Chef Kellen Gullatt at The Lakes Country Club in Palm Desert, Calif., this goal kicked into high gear when the club underwent a clubhousewide renovation in 2021 that included a new banquet kitchen—a necessity for the burgeoning events department.
“We could no longer operate banquets and a la carte services from the main kitchen alone,” explains Gullatt. “During peak season, we do roughly 18,000 to 20,000 covers with banquets and a la carte services combined.”
Given that he joined the club as Executive Sous Chef before taking on his current role three years later, Gullatt knew how fast-paced the kitchen could become any given weekend.
To better serve the newly redesigned banquet event center, along with the Lakes’ Santa Rose Room, private wine room and outdoor patio, a
3,000-square-foot banquet kitchen now houses two key areas. The back serves as the bakery and prep area, featuring large mixers, hot boxes, a vacuum sealer and other smaller equipment. The other side functions as the cooking and plating line, with convection ovens, combi ovens, a grill, a flat-top griddle, deep fryers, a steam table and plates.
Although the banquet kitchen stands apart from the 2,000-square-foot main kitchen, the two facilities share sta , with Gullatt relying heavily on two sous chefs who assist in banquets and a la carte dining, “each focusing more attention on one specific area. This helps ensure that we as a team are staying
on course for various events and services while meeting all health department codes,” he says.
Having a dedicated prep and production space specifically for banquets has proven invaluable for Gullatt and his team. Not only has it improved organization and e ciency of the club’s culinary program, but having separate walk-in coolers, more space and equipment greatly benefits the overall flow. “It allows us to keep all food outlets open, whereas, in previous years, we would close a la carte dining due to large banquets,” he notes.
And while Gullatt is now responsible for a larger sta , a higher budget and a fully stocked second kitchen, he sees these as mere adjustments that outweigh any potential challenges. “So far, all the benefits of having a separate kitchen have negated any issues,” he adds.
At The Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C., where nourishing the minds (and bodies) of academia is on the daily agenda, a banquet kitchen with optimal output is essential for feeding an active membership. Hosting approximately 80 lectures and events each month, this separate culinary facility has a production process that has been finetuned over the years, largely thanks to Executive Chef William Rogers, CEC, CCA.
Drawing from a storied career that includes a 10-year run at the Ritz-Carlton
Maintaining a separate space reserved exclusively for special events is a win-win for club chefs and banquet teams.
to five annual Masters tournaments, where he managed 2,000 daily covers, Rogers was up for the challenge of spearheading a kitchen renovation in 2017. “The last time was in 1983 when banquets were minimal,” he recalls. “We decided to split up the banquet side and wanted to stock it with the proper equipment and enough space.” With banquets accounting for $3 million in annual sales and $2.5 million for a la carte, they warrant the real estate.
The 2,000-square-foot banquet kitchen follows a square-shaped layout, each corner serving as specific prep/ production zones.
“We have five tables on casters that we can move and integrate based on prep and plate-up time,” says Rogers. The walk-in cooler is near the dry goods rack, where common spices are stored. Over on the second wall is a prep table, including a sink and meat slicer, while the third zone houses dry storage for china, platters and bowls; ripening rack for tomatoes, avocados, kiwi and other fruits; and hot boxes. Last but not least is the hot line, with a four-burner stove, kettle and combi oven. Rogers plugs the importance of small details, like five overhead outlets for spice grinder, blenders and other small equipment, as well as heat lamps that can be repositioned as needed.
Given the club’s mansion setting, where space is at a premium, Rogers focuses on optimizing output. “We buy only what we need to serve and don’t have a lot of excess,” he says. A rotating menu that concentrates on what’s in season helps simplify planning and sourcing ingredients. “We like to can, cure and ferment products and can use banquet space to store items,” he says.
Rogers and his team often look for ways to change up shelving, contemplating what drawers and containers can be purchased to stay organized.
“From time to time, my chefs and I will walk the space to see what’s working and what’s not,” he notes. Solutions that have proven useful include a common par shelf for dry storage items
and a walk-in with common shelves for automatically restocked herbs. “This way, people aren’t hoarding their own salts, acids and oils; both teams can go there,” he explains. “Streamlining those pars has been great; it gives us the proper inventory, so we are not overproducing and reopening.”
Culinary operations that are separate but equal require a deft hand and a willingness to adapt. At Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta, whose kitchen is under the helm of Executive Chef Brad Menhorn, both attributes are necessary for managing a la carte and banquet production.
Amassing a combined 1,800 square feet, the kitchen’s front half comprises an a la carte line—equipped with a kitchen display system (KDS)—while the back half has a traditional banquet line layout. “The parallel setup allows me to supervise and participate with both departments simultaneously, as I am an extremely hands-on chef,” says Menhorn, who has over 16 years of experience preparing banquets.
Although each side of the kitchen functions independently, Menhorn
must balance various challenges, from coordinating product orders and sta ng to handling peak hours for two busy entities. He stresses the importance of teamwork when faced with potential problems, emphasizing that a group-wide e ort is the most e ective solution. “‘Not my job’ is not a phrase we allow in the kitchen, as all jobs are equally important, and no job is below any of us,” he says.
Menhorn maintains a sense of order by being proactive to combat fatigue and avoid missteps. “We live and die by mise en place: Everything is in its place and prepared by our diligent earlymorning crew before the sous begin to prepare,” he says. His team is now working on finetuning reaction time to last-minute order updates not only to meet but exceed expectations.
While Menhorn believes there’s no simple answer for pulling o a successful banquet, he a rms that preparation and execution are enhanced by a supervisor who leads by example.
“A leader tailors their approach to each situation,” he says, “making each order equally a unique challenge and an opportunity to learn how we can better serve our membership.” C+RC
EXECUTIVE CHEF CYNTHIA ROMSTADT has achieved remarkable career growth, fueled by her ambition to become an executive chef before age 30, unwavering dedication to her craft, and guidance from a few prominent club culinarians.
Her first role after culinary school was at Cherokee Town and Country Club under J. Kevin Walker, CMC, AAC, where she spent two-and-a-half years. After Walker left, she found a role at Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Country Club, where she was sous chef under Roger Anderhalden (now Executive Chef of The Club at Mediterra in Naples, Fla.) for five years.
When Anderhalden left Cedar Rapids to become Executive Chef of Colonial Country Club (Fort Worth, Texas), Romstadt took over as Executive Chef. She was 27.
Years later, she came full circle after some time outside the club world, joining Colonial CC as Executive Sous Chef. A year later, she was promoted to Executive Chef. Three months into the gig, she is face to face with a massive $100 million renovation that will significantly affect expectations for the food-and-beverage program during and post-renovation.
Club + Resort Chef (C+RC): Tell us about the renovation plans and the impact on F&B.
Cynthia Romstadt (CR): Our a la carte venues are currently maxed out, and our sales each year have increased 30% in each venue. This renovation will position us to finally meet member demand [by adding] two new restaurants, which will add around 30% more seats.
There will be a lot of new programming, too. There will be a dry-age room, a chef’s table bar, and a rooftop lounge. They’re erecting a brand-new building for the new restaurants, so we’re supposed to maintain full operations at our current clubhouse. We won’t have banquets for the entire summer because our ballroom is being renovated imme-
diately. Because the golf course will be closed for a year, culinary is being called upon as the big draw for members.
The overall improvement in facilities and equipment can potentially improve food execution, menu enhancements and the staff we attract. This year is an extremely important planning year for us to reorganize our brigade, apply focus to our dining venues, and hone in on our vision for high-quality food sources.
C+RC: What was the transition to Executive Chef like for you?
CR: In some ways, I don’t feel like much has changed. I was already doing [many of the responsibilities of this role]. That said, I feel a greater responsibility to connect to the staff. I’m digging deep from a leadership standpoint to keep them engaged and motivated, while also helping everyone see the vision of the culinary program.
I have to manage personalities, time restraints and schedule preferences. It’s a lot more communication and a lot more being extroverted than I was as executive sous chef. Chefs love to cook. Developing these interpersonal relationships is more challenging.
C+RC: Is that something you’ve had good examples of from mentors?
CR: Chef Walker used to say, “I’m not the best chef, but I’ve hired the best chefs. They’re the ones who shine; I just bring them all together.” I look at it that way now, too. It’s about finding people with different or better skill sets than you and getting them under the same roof.
Roger [Anderhalden] and Martin [Meadows, Colonial CC’s Director of Culinary Operations] have set me up for great positions, and I’ve always inherited an amazing staff, which plays a major role in any chef’s success.
C+RCRead the full interview: club-and-resort-chef.com/ cynthia-romstadt-from-ambitious-sous-to-confident-exec
As Executive Chef of Colonial CC, Cynthia Romstadt’s tasked with placing culinary at the center of operations during the club’s $100 million renovation.
Optional
42,000 BTU cast iron burners deliver powerful infrared heat as high as 1800°F Adjustable broiler drawer with positive locking counterbalanced grid assembly
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• 36” and 45” widths
• Single and double broilers
