PRODUCTS AT WORK
The Woodlands’
Executive Chef Showcases Aussie Beef and Lamb’s Range Executive Chef Jimmy De La Cruz finds new ways to keep The Woodlands’ 3,500 members happy using sustainable, natural products—without sacrificing flavor. By Isabelle Gustafson, Senior Editor
SANTIAGO “JIMMY” DE LA CRUZ, Executive Chef of The Wood-
Jimmy De La Cruz, Executive Chef, The Woodlands Palmer Course 22
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Club + Resort Chef
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May 2022
lands (Texas) Palmer Course, has 37 years of experience in clubs, resorts, conference centers, convention centers and standalone restaurants. Still, like all the best chefs, he’s always learning about new ways to take his recipes to the next level. Earlier this year, De La Cruz attended an event at Ansley Golf Club in Atlanta with a group of chefs from clubs across the country to learn about the latest dining trends as well as Australia’s sustainably raised, grass-fed beef, wagyu and lamb. It was a great learning and networking experience, says De La Cruz, plus an opportunity to put his skills to the test using the products at hand and a few the chefs picked out themselves. De La Cruz opted to make a deconstructed tamal: masa polenta, lamb pastrami with pico de gallo, queso fresco, lime jalapeño honey, diced avocado and sour cream (see photo, above). “For the tamal, I used regular masa and added some bacon fat to it,” he says. “I then added a little chicken stock and just cooked it polenta-style.” For the lamb pastrami, he made a honey chipotle guisado, or stew, with some Southwest and Southern flavors. He then paired it with the jalapeños. www.clubandresortchef.com
