BANQUET
Reinventing
Holiday Meals Club chefs are responding to the constraints of the coronavirus crisis with new holiday programs and menus. By Lauren Sasala, Editorial Intern
HOLIDAYS, LIKE EASTER, PASSOVER, and Mother’s Day, bring members and their families together at the club. But shelter-in-place orders have meant that members—and their clubs’ culinary staffs— have had to find ways to celebrate holidays differently. “Food has taken on even more importance during this crisis,” says Andrew LaHaye, CEC, Executive Chef of Woodland Golf Club, Auburndale, Mass. LaHaye and his team typically create extravagant buffets for both Easter and Mother’s Day, but this year they switched to carryout meals for both events. “We hope that these to-go offerings give our members a sense of hope and security—no matter how bittersweet it may be,” he adds. Not all clubs have been able to offer to-go service,
though. Some have been forced to close their doors based on different state regulations. “It’s unfortunate because the holiday events, which always sell out, have become traditions for many of our members,” says Katie McAllister, Pastry Chef of Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., which canceled Easter celebrations and will remain closed until June 1st. But for the clubs able to continue operations under a to-go/carryout model, ingenuity has led to lots of creative curbside and virtual activities. Fred Ramsey, CEC, Executive Chef of Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla., commissioned the club’s two dedicated sprinter vans and valet service to deliver Easter meals to members unable to leave their homes. Photo courtesy of Blackthorn Club at The Ridges
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Club + Resort Chef
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May 2020
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