September 2020 www.clubandresortchef.com
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Mastering the Socially Distanced Member-Guest Event Navigating the Nuances of a New Chef Teaching the Next Generation of Club Chefs
The Apawamis Club’s Christopher Reveron brings precision and passion to his role as Executive Chef.
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2011 - 2020
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Charlotte Country Club Charlotte, N.C.
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The Country Club of Buffalo Buffalo, N.Y.
34
Farmington Country Club Charlottesville, Va.
26
Inwood Country Club Inwood, N.Y.
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Lauderdale Yacht Club Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
24
Oakland Hills Country Club Bloomfield Township, Mich.
16
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Breakout
with
Birmingham
HOW THE CRCA CONTINUES TO SERVE MEMBERS WE STARTED THE CLUB + RESORT CHEF ASSOCIATION (CRCA) in January 2020, as a way to continue the networking between the unique group that gathers at our annual Chef to Chef Conference. And while the world has changed dramatically since we launched the association, our mission to help club chefs stay connected year-round, sharing challenges and successes, certainly hasn’t. If anything, the need for the association has only intensified, and we have continued to push forward and gain momentum. The CRCA is now 150 members strong, and growing. This has been an unprecedented year as we all face new challenges dictated by the pandemic. But that’s exactly why it’s critical to stay connected and informed about the changing landscape, so that you can help to keep your staff and members safe and satisfied. One of the ways we’ve kept chefs connected is through Chef to Chef Live!—a weekly video series where I’m joined by a small group of club chefs on a video call to discuss current operations, adjustments that have been made as a result of COVID-19, and how they are moving forward despite many unknowns. I always encourage the fellow chefs I talk with to stay connected. It can only help in bettering each facility and staying on top of what other clubs are doing in your area. In addition to the overriding mission of the CRCA, we are also working to form smaller, regional chapters, so that we can have more-frequent meetings and events once the COVID curtain is finally lifted.
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The CRCA is also working toward ways to add value for its members in the form of certification and apprenticeship programs. We are forming a panel of club chefs to navigate these waters and bring these programs to life. We are also getting ready to activate a job board, where association members can view and post club chef positions from around the country, as listed by two of the top club chef recruiters in the industry. Lastly, we have an active members forum, where the community can ask and answer a variety of questions specific to our segment. But in order to participate, you have to join. Visit association.clubandresortchef.com and select Join CRCA under the Membership menu. And because we know times are tight and budgets are tighter, through the end of 2020 we are offering a discount of 50% off culinary memberships. Just use the promo code CHEF2CHEF when checking out to receive this discount. Please also remember that our team is here as a resource to this association and this industry, and feel free to contact us anytime.
DIRECTOR, CLUB + RESORT CHEF ASSOCIATION Thomas Birmingham, CEC tbirmingham@wtwhmedia.com 708-526-1825
September 2020
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CONTENTS September • Vol. 10 • Issue 5
- 10 Powered by Purpose
D
5 Director’s Memo
The Apawamis Club’s Christopher Reveron brings precision and passion to his role as Executive Chef.
How CRCA Continues To Serve Members
Memo 8 Editor’s Use This Downtime to Upskill in Something
14
From Sea to Table
15
Mix Responsibly
16
Rising to the Occasion
18
How Bentwater Yacht & CC is Bending to Grow
Bonita Bay Club’s Richard Brumm combines his love of spearfishing with his dedication to exceed expectations.
Addison Reserve CC is hitting the mark with up-to-date mixology programs that focus on signature drinks, reimagined classics and relevant trends. Even a global pandemic can’t stop these pastry chefs from baking up a storm.
Executive Chef Olivier Andreini, CMC, has found many silver linings in the challenges posed by COVID-19.
20
Mastering the Socially Distanced Member-Guest
Executive Chef Joseph Comunale and his team at Inwood CC balanced safety and style to score a culinary success at the sold-out tournament.
24
Navigating the Nuances of a New Chef
Lauderdale YC’s GM shares insights into how the club’s food-and-beverage program is changing with the opening of a new clubhouse and the addition of a new chef.
26
Teaching the Next Generation of Club Chefs
Culinary internships add real-life experience to what’s taught in the classroom.
Thoughts 34 JoeChef’s Piazza, CEC, AAC, Executive Chef The Country Club of Buffalo
30 Product Showcase 33 Ad Index Photo courtesy of Addison Reserve CC
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IT’S OKAY TO HOLD ME
Dishing
with
DeChellis
USE THIS DOWNTIME TO UPSKILL IN SOMETHING FIRST, LET’S BE REALLY CLEAR about something:
I’m not a chef. I have written about nearly all aspects of the culinary world over the course of my career, though. And in doing so, I’ve learned a lot about the world of chefs, as well as cooking. When I graduated from college, my very first editor asked me to write a story about what chefs should consider when buying potatoes. I was clueless. I had plenty of experience writing and I had a portfolio with dozens of bylined articles. But what would I write about that would have any impact? I didn’t know what a chef should consider. I didn’t even know any chefs at that point. My editor saw me struggle (and probably heard me ask lots of silly questions during phone interviews). He decided to send me to an accelerated culinary basics program. He then continued to drive my education while we worked together, by encouraging me to attend workshops at the Culinary Institute of America and elsewhere. That helped me learn what parts of the cooking process are important to explore, how an operation works, what terms are important to use, and why my role as a journalist covering this industry is important to the continued progress of the culinary arts. A decade later, I still ask lots of questions (and some of them are probably still silly). But I am confident enough to unpack the answers, so I can fully digest the subject and turn it around to tell a story that’s useful to you as a professional chef.
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I’m also a very tactile learner. When all of you were asking about sous vide, I got my own immersion circulator and cooked everything I could with it. When sushi moved mainstream, I read a dozen books on the history and process, and then forced my best friend to teach me how to roll sushi—a skill she learned from her mother and aunts. When everyone was shifting their approach to serving plant-based meals, I went vegan for a couple of months. I like a challenge. And I know many of you do, too. During quarantine, I decided to level up on a whole new culinary skill: ice cream making. And while I still have a way to go to perfect it, the process has been fascinating (and delicious). Right now, your operations are slower than you want them to be. Your staff is probably also smaller than you want it to be. Are you “just getting by?” Or are you using those small bits of open time to better yourself and your team, so that when business returns, you’ll be stronger, smarter, and more skilled than you were going into this?
EDITOR Joanna DeChellis jdechellis@wtwhmedia.com 412-260-9233 www.clubandresortchef.com
COVER FEATURE
Powered by
Purpose The Apawamis Club’s Christopher Reveron brings precision and passion to his role as Executive Chef. By Joanna DeChellis, Editor
CHRISTOPHER REVERON, CEC, WCEC, Executive Chef of The Apawamis Club (Rye, N.Y.), has a relentless drive to improve himself and those around him through action and practice. He’s been with Apawamis for a decade and he’s had a profound impact on the club’s culinary program and team. He rebuilt the kitchen to be more efficient. He cut ticket times by 40%. He created a training program that inspires growth. He continues to create new menus, leverage smart culinary techniques, and bring meaning and purpose to each dish. NO MORE YELLING When subjected to pressure, Reveron finds a way to transform weaknesses into strength. He is humble and hardworking, smart and creative, disciplined and coolheaded. Those characteristics are important to him, and they’ve helped shape the culture of his kitchen. “I worked for a chef once who told me that my job as a leader was to ‘put the fear of God’ into my team,” says Reveron. “I call it the turtle syndrome—and I don’t believe it works. Fear is not positively motivating. It makes people hide in their shells. “I don’t yell,” he continues. “I don’t cuss. And I don’t want a team that feels like they have to walk on eggshells around me.” Reveron started his culinary career as a garrison chef in the U.S. Army before he accepted a sous chef position at The Patterson Club (Fairfield, Conn.) in 2001. He came to Apawamis in 2010 as an Executive Sous Chef and four years later, he moved into the top rank.
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“To succeed you have to sacrifice,” says Reveron. “I went from a 7.2-mile commute at The Patterson Club to over 30 minutes with Apawamis. I did it because I knew that the club had more to offer in the long run.” As Executive Sous, Reveron began coaching, training and mentoring junior chefs. He learned the administrative side of the business, including budget management, purchasing, vendor sourcing, inventory forecasting and planning, waste management, workflows, productivity improvement and quality assurance. He developed and implemented a new purchasing program to ensure top quality and best price. He created management training manuals to reflect the club’s mission statement and ensure consistent service practices. He developed and implemented a HAACP program. When the executive chef position opened, Reveron decided to apply.
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September 2020 l Club + Resort Chef l 11
COVER FEATURE
“I put everything I had into it my tasting,” he says. As Reveron was walking out of the club that night, briefcase in hand, the General Manager stopped him and told him they needed to talk in his office. “I walked in and both the club President and the Chairman of the Board were sitting there,” says Reveron. “They told me that they had found a new chef. Then my President stood up and said, ‘He’s standing in the room with us.’ I stood there, realizing what he meant, and then cried like a baby. It was surreal. I’ve come a long way—and my mission is now to bring others along an equally hard-won path.” Some cases in point: Fourteen years ago, Reveron hired Jose Sanchez as a pot washer. Sanchez is now his banquet sous chef. And Catherine DiQuinzio started with Reveron as an intern. She is now the a la carte sous chef. “She’s one of the two most talented young chefs I’ve worked with,” says Reveron. “She can work a grill station better than anyone I’ve ever seen. There was one night where we had 220 covers and 113 items came off the grill. Nothing came back over or under.” Kyle Schutte-Bell, Apawamis’ Assistant General Manager, also attests to how Reveron’s approach is far-reaching. Schutte-Bell focuses on the club’s wine and beverage programs and works closely with Reveron to make sure they are in line with the culinary program. “He’s immensely talented,” says Schutte-Bell. “He thinks outside the box, and it forces us to be creative. He explains the process behind his food. He inspires us and makes us be better.”
COVID-19 Response Strategy Christopher Reveron, CEC, WCEC, Executive Chef of The Apawamis Club, likens COVID to the “worst migraine ever.” Even so, nothing has stopped him and his team from creating an actionable response plan to keep members engaged. “Within one day, we shifted into a to-go model with a shortened menu of 18 items,” says Reveron. “Once we had some road under us, we launched a market-basket program and offered a grocery list.” From there, the team developed meal kits, specialty ordering programs, and family meal packages. “We can now offer dining again, but in limited capacity,” says Reveron. Looking forward, Brian Baldwin, CCM, GM/COO, says the plan is to remain conservative. “We’re fortunate that we have a large clubhouse, but we are going to maintain outdoor dining for as long as possible,” he says. “We’re not going to budget banquet projects until May of next year. “We’re going to be very conservative,” Baldwin adds. “We are very aware of safety. We have financial security and we will take care of employees and members. That is our focus.”
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Brian Baldwin, CCM, GM/COO, has focused on making the front-of-house service as refined as the food at Apawamis.
NEW KITCHEN SPEEDS SERVICE Soon after Reveron was tapped to be Apawamis’ Executive Chef, he helped to secure the design of a $2.1 million kitchen renovation. “In the military, there’s no grey area,” he says. “There are clearly defined processes and procedures. Our ticket times [at Apawamis] were out of control, and a lot of that had to do with the layout of the kitchen. “I documented the process, assessed it and designed a kitchen layout that would help us be more efficient,” he says. Apawamis retooled the floor plan to be more open. The hot line was moved closer to the egress of the kitchen to be closer to the dining area. The salad station was moved and the banquet line was opened up. The new kitchen allows Reveron to see everything at once and move between stations as needed. “Jumping on the line has been the most effective way for us to correct errors before they become bad habits,” says Reveron. “I can work with my team, stress the importance of making their stations work for them, and teach them how to be most effective in the moment.” Brian Baldwin, CCM, started at Apawamis as General Manager/COO a little over a year ago and has spent his time focusing on making the front-ofhouse service as refined as the food. He’s also given Reveron the creative freedom to push the envelope and be “more himself” than ever before. “The whole management team carries a passion and energy that’s contagious,” says Baldwin, who was previously Assistant General Manager at Baltus-
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rol Golf Club, where he earned “Rising Star” recognition through the Excellence in Club Management Awards co-sponsored by Club + Resort Business. “We’re collaborative and focused on serving the membership,” Baldwin says. “We’re all-in on everything we do—from lunch service through COVID-19 response planning.”
FOOD AT THE FOREFRONT Philosophies are well and good, but if the final product—the food—doesn’t live up to the hype, then all is for naught. “Every plate a chef puts out is like a business card,” says Reveron. “You’re not going to give someone a crumbled-up business card with stains. You’re going to give them a crisp one, fresh out of the box.” When he took over as Executive Chef in 2014, Reveron redesigned the menus to better reflect current culinary trends and techniques such as sous vide, molecular gastronomy, and farm-to-table. Not surprisingly, his plates are pristine and polished, and the menu is hyper-focused on member preference and personalization. “Members appreciate how personalized the experience is here,” says Reveron. “It sets us apart. If Mr. Smith wants the filet with the side from the salmon? No problem.” By paying this level of attention to members, one-to-one, Apawamis was able to increase revenues by 14% and decrease food costs by 5%. The team also increased the club’s member satisfaction score from 65% to 90% over the past six years. C+RC
THE APAWAMIS CLUB at a glance Location: Rye, N.Y. Members: 700 Annual F&B Revenue: $3.1 million A la carte/banquet mix: 40/60 Average Covers: 150/night Food Cost: 38% Food & Beverage Minimum: $1,200 annually Average Annual No. of Golf Rounds: 17,000 Foodservice Spaces: 12 No. of Kitchen Employees: 16 No. of FOH employees: 17 No. of Kitchens: 2 Clubhouse Size: 110,000 sq. ft. Banquet Capacity: 300
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September 2020 l Club + Resort Chef l 13
FOOD + BEVERAGE
From Sea to Table
Bonita Bay Club’s Richard Brumm combines his love of spearfishing with his dedication to exceeding expectations. By Joanna DeChellis, Editor
WHEN TIME ALLOWS, RICHARD Brumm, CEC, CCA, Director of Culinary Operations at Bonita Bay Club (BBC) in Bonita Springs, Fla., will dive into the waters off the Gulf of Mexico with a commercial spearfishing company, to catch fresh fish for his members. “We question our operations constantly and always push ourselves forward,” says Brumm. “All fresh pasta is made in-house. Steaks are dry-aged on site. We do house-made pepperoni and other charcuterie. The list goes on.” Of all of these initiatives, BBC’s Fresh Catch Program is by far the most well-received. “We’re looking at what sets us apart,” says Brumm. “What can we do to engage our members and bring value to their experience?” BBC’s Fresh Catch Program provides members with fresh fish they would not readily access elsewhere. It also serves as an educational platform for Brumm, to expose his culinary team to the catch-and-cook process. “By fabricating whole fish, we are teaching skills and fostering respect for the source,” he says. Southwest Florida offers the perfect canvas for this type of initiative. The Gulf of Mexico provides an abundance of species, both well-known and lesser-known.
MIX RESPONSIBLY Addison Reserve CC is hitting the mark with upto-date mixology programs that focus on signature drinks, reimagined classics and relevant trends. By Megan Freitas, Contributing Editor
“Depending on what is being targeted, dives range from as shallow as 40 to 50 feet up to depths of 135 feet or more,” Brumm says. “Trips can be targeting specific species—black, gag or red grouper, hognose snapper, Greater Amberjack or even Lionfish—but always include other species that fill the gaps and can be interesting, like Mutton Snapper, African Pompano or even flounder. Seasons and seasonality also come into play as to what is open for commercial fishing.” Three distinct stakeholders are included in each transaction: the commercial fishing license holder that Brumm dives with (see photo, left), the wholesale fish company, and BBC. “The fish caught by the commercial fishing license holder is sold to BBC directly through the wholesale fish company,” Brumm explains. “Fortunately, both of the local operations I use operate as both commercial fishermen and wholesalers, so the transaction isn’t as complicated.” This is an important part of the program’s success, because health codes dictate that restaurant operators must purchase from licensed operations. “I was fortunate enough to be introduced to, and become friends with, the captain of a commercial spearfishing operation and wholesale seafood house,” says Brumm. “Fortunately for me, commercial spearfishing requires divers.” When possible, BBC prefers to purchase whole fish from traceable sources, regardless of who the diver is. But if the diver is Brumm, BBC tends to get a better deal. “It’s a win-win-win,” Brumm says. “The sale price for Fresh Catch is completely based on the purchase price and yield of the specific species of fish. Costs generally balance out, as there is more labor involved with bringing in whole fish. “The real benefit is the freshness and quality of product we are able to give to our membership,” he adds. “Most fish that comes in a restaurant’s door is five to seven days old. We are able to get a product that is usually less than 24 hours out of the water.” When BBC isn’t purchasing fish that Brumm personally caught, it relies on products sourced from fishmongers, both local and international. “I rely on fishmongers who ship items overnight and allow us to augment our menus with other species that may be seasonal, or lesser-known,” says Brumm. “The quality is there, and it allows us to create menu diversity and interest.” C+RC www.clubandresortchef.com
TO SOME CLUBS, THE world of mixology may be an exotic, untamed beast. But in the competitive South Florida market, Addison Reserve Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla. strives to set the mark and stay ahead of the curve when it comes to trends. The club’s cocktail program is no exception, with beverage options stretching far beyond wine lists and highballs. “We are a liquor club, for sure,” says Steve Monti, Addison Reserve’s Director of Dining Operations. Monti works with Katie Sutton, the club’s Bar Manager, to fashion a program focused on demographics, demand, current trends, ingredient availability, seasonal themes and more. “Our program is member-driven,” says Sutton. “Our older members gravitate toward the classics, but a few are adventurous enough to branch out with light twists.” After Addison Reserve completed a major renovation in November 2019, Monti adds, “We’ve also seen an influx of younger members who have different tastes and preferences when it comes to cocktails. This group is more focused on trends and is interested in experimenting.” As evidence of how the club keeps its finger on the trend pulse, Addison Reserve is currently capitalizing on the popularity of tequila. “We’ve brought in a vast selection of high-end brands, such as Don Julio 1942, and even some local mezcals, and we are now seeing tequila blow past bourbon in sales,” says Monti. The mixology team has also been taking advantage of the opportunity to create many tequila-based cocktails. Most recently, Addison Reserve reinvented the “Pineapple Reserve” signature cocktail, which features house-infused pineapple vodka, into a wildly popular pineapple-infused tequila margarita, which now sells like crazy by the club’s newly renovated pool (see photo, pg. 6.). “Our team has a ton of influence on our cocktail program,” says Sutton. “Addison bartenders have freedom to create cocktails for the regular cocktail list, [to fit the preferences of] members they know well, in addition to daily, weekly, and seasonal features. Each bartender even has a signature cocktail that they are well-known for among members.” To increase revenue during the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, the Addison Reserve team has continued to be proactive in adapting its cocktail program to provide new appeal for the membership. “We created our own to-go cocktail program called ‘Just Add Ice,’” says Monti. “When the member gets the kit delivered to their home, all they have to do is crack it open and pour it over ice. The program has been very popular.” C+RC September 2020 l Club + Resort Chef l 15
PASTRY
RISING to the O Even a global pandemic can’t stop these club pastry chefs from baking up a storm. By Pamela Brill, Contributing Editor
AT SOME POINT IN their careers, pastry chefs encounter an obstacle that prevents them from maintaining highquality production. Be it spoiled ingredients, a recipe that flops or an oven that gasps its last breath mid-soufflé, these difficult moments are all manageable. But when a health crisis results in a global shutdown, and club pastry chefs are forced to hang up their aprons for the foreseeable future, it can make even the most dedicated and experienced culinary wizards lose confidence. While COVID-19 may have drastically altered operations, these two pastry chefs have demonstrated how to adapt to their circumstances and bake to the best of their abilities.
CREATIVE THINKING Last spring, pastry-making at Oakland Hills Country Club was moving along at a steady clip. The Bloomfield Township, Mich., facility had just reopened for the season in mid-March and banquets were booking up quickly. But once COVID-19 took hold and restrictions were put into place, the club was forced to 16
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close its dining room, cancel events and re-tweak its a la carte menu for a takeout-only format—and that included baked goods. “Desserts moved to ‘bake at home’ items such as cookie dough and special-orders, like small cakes, pies, or boxes of baked cookies,” explains Executive Pastry Chef Elizabeth Harrison. Plated desserts were put on the back burner until late May, once dining-room service had resumed. These pivots in pastry production required Harrison to shift gears quite quickly—something that she has never before experienced in her career as a pastry chef.
“I’ve been in clubs for 20 years; they are predictable in their own unique way—there is an ebb and flow to the busy and slow times,” she says. “Now there’s a surprise every week.” With the a la carte dessert menu being somewhat diminished from a normal busy season, Harrison and her team are shifting perspective. “The focus is to keep the traditional member favorites, but offer something new and approachable,” she says. Because larger parties are currently on hold and the majority of wedding plans have been tabled until next year, portability has taken on even greater significance. Desserts are assembled in to-go www.clubandresortchef.com
e OCCASION Southern Hills CC’s Executive Pastry Chef, Chelsea Fuller, is crafting a flexible pastry program that can bend as much as the situation demands.
she’ll be able to adjust her processes as needed, depending on if and how the pandemic persists. “I focus on using products that are very versatile instead of specific, so that if we have to change direction quickly, our inventory will still be useful,” she states.
SAFE PRACTICES APLENTY
containers, and the kitchen has stepped up production of the club’s travel-friendly, member-favorite cookies. Holiday outings, like Oakland Hills’ annual 4th of July BBQ, have also been revamped to accommodate off-site festivities. “We had a la carte service with specials off the grill, but to help our members celebrate at home, we had a pop-up shop with pies, cookies and other desserts, packaged and available to pick up just before the holiday,” notes Harrison. Such innovative thinking and clever tactics have allowed Harrison to be proactive when it comes to pastry menu planning and production, so www.clubandresortchef.com
On-the-job training has proved to be an essential skill in the kitchen at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. —and one to which Chelsea Fuller can proudly attest. Not long after the Executive Pastry Chef was promoted to her current position in January, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down for two full months, and Fuller and her staff were subsequently furloughed. Once she returned to work in late May, and her team the following week, she found herself in the unique position of revising her entire pastry menu for a shorter operational duration. “During the COVID-19 shutdown, we were only doing to-go service from 4 to 7 p.m.,” Fuller explains. “When the club switched to to-go service, the bakery switched from 11 desserts to four, which then decreased even further to only two dessert options.” Because pastries were not generating enough revenue, the variety needed to be trimmed. By the time the club reopened, the menu was adjusted yet again to encompass seven desserts—four regular desserts and three seasonal ones. Considering this dramatic shift in
a short period, Fuller has maintained a clear perspective. While she cites limiting the number of components for each dish and reducing the quantity due to a slower pace, she believes the most drastic change to a la carte pastry production is breadmaking. The club now only offers two options, along with the daily muffins that are put into table-service bread baskets. “We also pipe individual rosettes of butter, so each person at the table gets their own portion of bread and butter, to eliminate sharing,” she says. Cookie platters that are assembled for the ladies’ locker room and men’s bridge club are individually wrapped. Breakfast pastry trays normally made for the tennis house and men’s grill on weekends have been put on hold—a cautionary measure to reduce the level of personal contact. Even though most banquets have been cancelled or moved to a later date, Southern Hills established a new set of safe practices for pastry production. Effective as of mid-June, event sizes have been limited and all staff must wear gloves and masks. “If we host a wedding during the outbreak, the wedding cake must now be roped off, so there’s a limit on the amount of people near the cake while it is being displayed,” says Fuller. In some cases, she adds, a sneeze guard is set up as an extra precaution. For any buffets, sneeze guards are also a general rule of thumb, as are banquet staff members who are on hand to prepare plates for individual guests. Through all of this, Fuller has remained committed to providing quality pastry to members, pandemic or not. “This is one thing I am happy to say has not changed,” she notes. C+RC September 2020
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CHEF to CHEF
How Bentwater Yacht & CC is Bending to Grow OLIVIER ANDREINI, CMC, Executive Chef of Bentwater Yacht & Country Club in Montgomery, Texas, has worked in clubs for more than a decade. During his tenure he has worked with, taught, mentored and trained dozens of chefs—myself included. Since COVID-19 upended many of the plans his club had for 2020, Andreini (pictured above left, with Gerald Ford, CMC) has been diligent in finding ways to learn and grow from this experience. C2C: What has changed at your club since you presented at the 2020 Chef to Chef Conference in March? OA: When we went into lockdown, our management team and staff reacted quickly. We shifted our dining program to curbside to-go with a dedicated new menu, new marketing campaigns and an ordering system that would allow members to place orders by phone and pick them up at the clubhouse’s main entrance. C2C: What have been some lessons learned during this time? OA: It’s interesting how things work out. This unusual situation has forced us to look at everything we do from a different perspective. When things do return to normal, we’re trying to decide what programs we’ll keep and what might not make the cut. Our new virtual wine-and-charcuterie tastings are a good example. Our members love them. Had we not gone into lockdown, we may have never discovered or thought of such a thing. We are also looking at how our menu will change when we fully reopen. Members are gravitating towards dishes that don’t fall into the category of traditional club food, so we will learn from this and replace the older dishes—like the Chef’s salad—with more modern fare. 18
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Executive Chef Olivier Andreini, CMC, has found many silver linings in the challenges posed by COVID-19. By Gerald Ford, CMC, Contributing Chef Editor
C2C: How are you tracking compared to the budget? OA: Our entire operating plan for the year was suddenly put on hold, so the impact has been significant. Daily covers in our grille, bar and outdoor patio were halted and converted to curbside, which created a void in alcohol sales. Large weddings and events were rescheduled or cancelled in the first few months, and those that did reschedule have downsized their guest lists. We’ve had to adjust staff requirements as a result. But on a typical Wednesday night, to-go will do 120 to 160 covers, and because we are only using the kitchen and a few front-of-house staff, the numbers aren’t so bad. C2C: Have you begun looking at 2021 budgets? OA: The budgeting process is on hold. The 2020 budgets have been adjusted and function revenue has been removed. The current draft for the 2021 budget matches 2020. We’re doing this in order to have a realistic plan for sales, but our final budget is on hold until November so we can see how things play out into the last quarter. C+RC www.clubandresortchef.com
WE WERE
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BANQUET
Mastering the
SOCIALLY DISTANCED
Member-Guest Executive Chef Joseph Comunale and his team at Inwood CC balanced safety and style to score a culinary success at the sold-out tournament. By Ginny Bartolone, Contributing Editor
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THE MEMBER-GUEST TOURNAMENT IS one of a club’s prime opportunities to show off its fine-tuned hospitality skills. Members pair up on the course with a guest for some friendly competition and the chance to show off their home away from home. And while golf may be the focus of the event, the food truly ties the day together. But how does a club plan a safe, socially distanced event while en-
Joseph Comunale, Executive Chef, Inwood CC
couraging a sense a community? In mid-July, just 20 miles outside of Manhattan, Executive Chef Joseph Comunale and the management team of Inwood (N.Y.) Country Club pulled off just that. The club’s member-guest event was sold out, with 88 socially distanced participants, and successfully wrapped up moments before a thunderstorm rolled across the island. And the winners included a culinary team that provided memowww.clubandresortchef.com www.clubandresortchef.com
C R E AT I N G M E N U I N S P I R AT I O N
INSPIRING ORIGINALITY TO CREATE BUZZWORTHY MENUS Getting people talking about your menu takes a meal experience truly worth talking about. That’s where Smithfield Culinary can be an invaluable resource. It’s our passion to offer you the insights, current consumer trends and amazing recipes you need to make your menu stand out in the culinary crowd. And get people talking. For more information, contact your Smithfield Culinary representative, visit SmithfieldCulinary.com or call 888-327-6526.
C R E AT I N G M E N U I N S P I R AT I O N
Follow us on Instagram! @SmithfieldCulinary ©2020 Smithfield
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BANQUET
Inwood CC’s member-guest tournament featured chef-managed action stations as well as plenty of outdoor, socially distanced spaces for members and guests to dine.
rable food while working under some of the strictest COVID-19 restrictions in the country.
NO SKIMPING ON THE MENU Inwood CC’s member-guest tournament included three meal occasions, snacks for the course, and a full range of beverages, all served in compliance with state laws. During breakfast, staff-managed buffet stations included made-to-order omelets as well as Belgian waffles. There were also mimosa and Bloody Mary stations, designed similarly, with attendants and a variety of accoutrements. For lunch, members and guests returned to the terrace for an upscale barbeque. “We set up two barbeque-themed action stations with the same exact menu, to cut down lines,” says Comunale. “We also always had someone directing the members on where to go, so everyone was on the same page and there were no large gatherings.” The barbecue stations featured New York prime strip steaks, hot dogs, salmon, snapper, a range of skewers, and homemade brisket-blend burgers. Comunale also prepared a range of vegetarian options. Homemade sides and a series of fresh snacks, such as spiced nuts, were elegantly served in individual containers as well. “By the end of the tournament, we wanted to focus the menu on comfort food,” says Comunale. That meant including chicken wings tossed in hot sauce, as well as a variety of pizzas and homemade pies.
FULLY PREPARED Before any of the food could be prepared, however, an extensive amount of planning had to go into how it would be made and served. “Our biggest challenge was making sure everyone on our team was prepared and organized,” says Comunale. 22
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“We held a lot of meetings to go over all the details and then communicate our plans to the staff. We left tons of time to talk through the process and answer any questions.” Inwood CC started with the basics: All staff must wear gloves and masks and remain six feet apart. Food displays and steps of service would encourage social distancing. Dishes would be plated a la minute instead of served on buffets. Whenever possible, components, condiments and sides would be pre-portioned and sealed for safety. “At the beginning of the process, we focused on the menu and service,” says Comunale. “With a memberguest, everything has to be beautiful and elegant. It has to impress. But with COVID, the process had to be even more detailed.” Eye-catching action stations were staffed by the club’s culinary team, which allowed members and guests to personalize their plates while interacting with the staff, one-to-one. During larger meals, separate action stations allowed members to queue up with plenty of space and speed. There’s no question it was a lot of work, says Comunale, but it was all worth the effort. Members were proud of their culinary team and of the extra mile they went to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance.
AN ADDED CHALLENGE Pulling off a member-guest amid a global pandemic would have been hard enough in a familiar setting. But Comunale only started as the club’s Executive Chef in February. And right when the season was set to begin, dining shut down. While Comunale didn’t have the runway to earn the trust of his new membership in the traditional fashion, he dove headfirst into creating memorable to-go meals during the lockdown. He also initiated a hugely successful grocery program. And as a result of those efforts, along with the seamless success of the member-guest event, he quickly earned the confidence of Inwood’s membership—as evidenced by how reservations for the club’s outdoor dining service have now been filling up three weeks in advance. C+RC www.clubandresortchef.com
MANAGER to CHEF
Navigating the Nuances of a New Chef Lauderdale YC’s GM shares insights into how the club’s food-and-beverage program is changing with the opening of a new clubhouse and the addition of a new chef. By Joanna DeChellis, Editor
NADINE D. ROCKWELL, CCM, General Manager of Lauderdale Yacht Club (LYC) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is savvy about the ins and outs of food-and-beverage programs within the club world. Rockwell, who has been in the industry for all of her professional life and is a second-generation club manager, gained this familiarity by working through every position in the clubhouse, starting as a dishwasher and moving up the ranks. She has been with LYC since 2015. Over the past few years, Rockwell has led the charge to rebuild LYC’s clubhouse and also bring in a new Executive Chef. C+RC: What brought you to Lauderdale Yacht Club? ND: Three years prior to coming, I was in Orlando for a Club Management Association of America conference and we toured the club. I told my husband, who is an Executive Chef, that if the opportunity ever presented itself, I could see myself working there. When the job posting went up, I applied and we relocated. C+RC: What was the F&B operation like when you first came onboard? ND: It was professional, but it was time to evolve with the desires of the membership. It needed that “wow” factor, to be more on-trend, and an infusion of creativity. C+RC: What makes a club dining program successful? ND: Consistency, creativity, seasonality and doing simple regional cuisine well. Many of our members dine here two or three days a week for lunch, and again two or three times a week for dinner. We have to offer interesting specials that showcase local ingredients. We also have to offer a healthy balance of new, trendy dishes and club classics. C+RC: What changes were made to the kitchen as part of the renovation? ND: We have a new galley kitchen with a pizza oven and built-in action stations www.clubandresortchef.com
with induction cooking units. It’s right off the family dining space and we’re hoping to use it for cooking classes and family activities. We also built a satellite kitchen that will serve our new bar. C+RC: Was anything done to the main kitchen? ND: In 2014, the club did a $5.65 million kitchen renovation, so the new clubhouse was actually rebuilt around the main kitchen. C+RC: What about in the front of house? ND: Each dining space will now have its own identity. We’ll have the Cypress Room, which will feature club classics with a steakhouse feel. The Cove will be family-oriented with a variety menu. And the new Burgee Bar upstairs will have a casual theme and a menu focused on small plates. We will also have a beautiful wine room and the Abenaki lounge, which will serve speciality cocktails and dessert. C+RC: Have you maintained dining during the renovation? ND: Yes, we’ve actually been in a fancy tent with glass walls and a big deck. The members love the wide-open space and many have said they don’t want it to come down! C+RC: In addition to the renovation, you also led the search for a new chef. What were you looking for? ND: We wanted a chef who could lead the brigade while focusing on innovation and organization. We needed a visionary who is passionate about the craft and understands what is important to our members. We wanted someone who would enhance the program in different ways—bringing in more fresh, local seafood, and creating new programming to help us grow out of this environment and into a new clubhouse. We wanted someone who could help us grow from a $3.9 million F&B operation into a $5 million F&B operation.
C+RC: Did you have much interest in the position when you posted it? ND: We used an executive search firm and had over 250 chefs apply. The committee narrowed it down to 65, then 12 and 4. Finally, we had two chefs come in for a tasting. Andy Papson was offered the position and the rest is history. C+RC: What made him stand out? ND: His interpretation of food and his overall outlook. He also dialed in to the vision of our committee and very quickly understood what members were looking for. C+RC: He’s been with the club for only a few months. How’s it going? ND: It’s been full speed ahead. But Chef has acclimated beautifully. He’s still working to understand what makes our membership unique, but he’s been wonderful about building the team, menu writing and training—all in the wake of a pandemic and the opening of a new clubhouse. C+RC: What do you value most about Chef Papson? ND: The partnership we’ve formed and his tenacity. He understands that success comes from creating and nurturing a team, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done well. C+RC: What advice would you offer other GMs who are building new relationships with their chef? ND: Communicate! And be sure to share the nuances of your membership with your chef—especially now. It’s hard enough to learn the preferences of 1,000 members in a normal year, but when you add in social distancing, reduced numbers and all the other challenges, you—the GM—have to communicate and then over-communicate the needs, wants and strategies. C+RC September 2020 l Club + Resort Chef l 25
MANAGEMENT
Teaching the Next Generation of Club Chefs Culinary internships add real-life experience to what’s taught in the classroom. By Lauren Sasala, Editorial Intern
WHEN CULINARY INTERNS starts working at Charlotte Country Club, Executive Chef John Cornely gives them a “blind basket” with a set of ingredients they must use to prepare a dish, to give him a baseline understanding of each intern’s skill level and to help structure a plan for the rest of his or her employment. At the end of every internship, Cornely then has each intern go through another “blind basket” exercise, with the hope of seeing their new skills emerge. “It’s kind of fun for them to see where they are and how they have progressed,” he says. No matter what skill level an intern starts with, the goal is to see growth over time. “Some of them come to us pretty green and then others have a little bit of experience, so we kind of tailor the program to not only what they’re looking for, but also to look at what skills they already have,” Cornely says. Charlotte CC attracts interns from Johnson & Wales University’s Charlotte campus, as well as from a local community college and a local high school’s culinary program. To focus one-onone with each intern, Charlotte CC’s Cornely says he typically tries to only have one on staff at a time, so they can rotate through multiple kitchens working alongside Cornely and his sous 26 26
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Farmington CC’s Michael Matarazzo, CEC, (second from left) rotates interns through all parts of the operation to give them as much exposure and experience as possible.
chefs. Creating dishes and working on specials, a la carte operations and menus for banquets are just a few of the tasks interns will complete. “I want our interns to see what the real-life applications are, [compared] to what they’ve learned in school,” says Cornely. Because Cornely wants to make sure his interns understand the importance of the team in the kitchen and the relationship between front- and back-of-house staff, he also tries to expose Charlotte CC’s interns to the different departments at the club. “It gives them a good overall experience of the culinary operations within a club,” he says.
A WORLD OF EXPERIENCE Executive Chef Michael Matarazzo, CEC, of Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Va., typically hires two to three interns from schools like Johnson & Wales and Piedmont Community College. He also hires four international interns per year. International interns stay at the club for 12 months and rotate through all of the kitchens at the club. “We try to get some cultural change going and give them the best experience they could have,” says Matarazzo. Other domestic internships at Farmington last just a few months, so coming up with a strong plan at the beginning for what the intern will www.clubandresortchef.com www.clubandresortchef.com
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MANAGEMENT
Matarazzo tries to pinpoint an intern’s strengths and weaknesses, to better understand each intern’s different learning style and maximize the experience for both the intern and the club.
do is the key to success, Matarazzo says. Pinpointing an intern’s strengths and weaknesses, and understanding each intern’s different learning style as quickly as possible, also helps to maximize the experience for both the intern and the club. Interns at Farmington typically begin working in the banquet kitchen or grill restaurant. After gaining confidence in their abilities, they will then move to taking over a work station. The intern will get to experience prep work, manage an action station during events, take over hors d’oeuvre production, and then complete a rotation through the pastry shop. “By rotating them through all the stops, they have the unique opportunity to make their own prep list, prioritize their day and learn a variety of skills within one internship,” says Matarazzo. A good goal for each of the interns at Farmington is to line-cook at one of the club’s busier restaurants by the end of their employment, Matarazzo says.
“Some end up being really key players that we’re upset to see go at the end, while others grow from inexperienced into to more confident and capable cooks who are a little bit more prepared when they get back to school,” he notes.
DEVELOPING MORE THAN COOKS
Before Cornely hires an intern, he looks for people who want to be a part of a team and who want to learn. “We can teach an intern how to cook, but attitude is something you can’t teach,” he says. “Down the road, we want them to be successful in their careers,” he adds. “That reflects back on the club and on us as chefs.” The majority of the interns at Charlotte CC end up staying with the club as either part-time or full-time staff members, including some of the highschool students. One employee who first started as an intern in high school has now worked at the club for five years. “I take my role as a chef and as a teacher very seriously,” says Cornely. “I think being able to give back to the students and back to the industry is really important.” Beyond working in the kitchen, Cornely wants to implement a professional development program for his interns, to help them learn how to write a resume, set up a LinkedIn page, and use social media. To ensure that each Charlotte CC’s John Cornely (left) and his sous chefs work with interns from Johnson & Wales University, intern at Farmington is local community colleges and nearby high schools. 28
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learning to the best of his or her ability, Matarazzo values one-on-one interactions throughout the experience, as part of striving to help in any way he can. “We try to provide mentorship and direction, even if they don’t want to stay with us,” he says. “We want to be part of their decision-making process and a resource for them as they move forward.”
ENSURING THE FUTURE As recruiting people into the culinary industry continues to become more challenging, making the investment in time for teaching culinary students becomes more critical. “If we don’t, one day we might be standing in the kitchen by ourselves,” Matarazzo says. “Or we can be proactive and take people in as much as possible, and turn them into the people that we’re wishing that we had in the industry.” This year, however, the COVID pandemic has imposed limits on the internship programs at both Charlotte CC and Farmington CC. Matarazzo was able to keep his two international interns employed through the pandemic, and they were set to leave at the end of August. But while the future is unknown for now, both Matarazzo and Cornely hope to resume their internships as soon as possible. “These are the future chefs of our industry, so I want to do everything I can to set them up for success,” says Cornely. C+RC www.clubandresortchef.com
LISTEN TO INSIGHTFUL INTERVIEWS With the Club World’s Most Interesting
Managers and Chefs
Club + Resort Talks includes the following podcasts:
Sedgefield CC’s James Patterson on the Role of Relationships in Supply Chain Management
Charlotte CC’s Pastry Chef James Satterwhite Pivots Program to Better Serve Members
How Joseph Longo is Cultivating a New Kitchen Culture at Frenchman’s Reserve
Pelican GC’s Fred Ramsey Shares How He is Overcoming Adversity
Listen to Club + Resort Talks podcasts at CLUBANDRESORTCHEF.COM/CATEGORY/PODCASTS or on your favorite podcast app
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Southern Aluminum 800-221-0408 Sales@southernaluminum.com www.southernaluminum.com 30
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CHEF WORKS: NECKERCHIEF Features:
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The Club + Resort Chef Association is the leading professional community for the culinary teams at private country clubs, city clubs, yacht clubs, athletic clubs and high-end golf properties and resorts. CRCA supports its members’ unique needs through networking, continuing education, and professional development.
why join crca?
Peer-to-peer networking and continued education In-person events Podcasts Monthly Association blogs Online forums Subscriptions to Club + Resort Business and Club + Resort Chef as well as our weekly Club + Resort Chef eNewsletter Members-only award programs Mentorship opportunities Continuing education opportunities The Club + Resort Chef Association was launched to meet the unique needs of the club and resort food-and-beverage segment. The association was formed to provide the chefs and others on their teams with even more opportunities to benefit, on a yearround basis, from the targeted content, educational resources and networking value that Club + Resort’s magazines, websites and events provides.
Find out more at association.clubandresortchef.com
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
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FiberBuilt 866.667.8668 www.fiberbuiltumbrellas.com 32
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CHEF’S THOUGHTS
Joe Piazza Executive Chef The Country Club of Buffalo Buffalo, N.Y.
Joe Piazza, CEC, AAC, has run the kitchen in some of the country’s most prestigious clubs. Prior to his current post at The Country Club of Buffalo, he served as Executive Chef of Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., Executive Chef of Cherry Hills Country Club in Colorado and as Executive Sous Chef of Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the American Academy of Chefs. 1. You’d be surprised to learn that I am allergic to shellfish. 2. If I could trade places with another chef, it would be Thomas Keller or Patrick O’Connell. 3. One of my most memorable meals was at Eleven Madison Park. 4. My go-to drink is Tito’s with grapefruit Pellegrino. 5. My last meal would be a 45-day dry-aged ribeye steak with a roasted lobe of foie gras and a bottle of Domaine Romanee Conti. 6. My worst culinary creation was a fruit carving. 7. If I could change one thing about my club, it would be the location of the kitchen to the rest of the building’s service areas. 8. My favorite junk food is potato chips with French onion dip. 9. If I wasn’t a chef, I’d love to be a real-estate developer. 10. I knew I wanted to be a chef when I was volunteering at a church carnival at the age of 14. I was cooking at a concession stand with a bunch of older guys who were getting slammed with orders, but I was having a great time. 34
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Club + Resort Chef
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September 2020
I’d like to see more club chefs find a better “ balance between work and home life. ” 11. You’ll never see tripe on the menu at my club because it smells bad. 12. The most ridiculous member or guest request I’ve ever had was to cut their sandwich directly in half and not on an angle. They said it tasted different. 13. I love being a club chef because every day is different. 14. When I’m not in the kitchen I’m with my family or golfing. 15. My biggest mistake when I first started as a chef was trying to prove that I knew more than I did. 16. During the quarantine, I made sure to have these five foods with me: whole chickens, garlic, semolina flour, avocados, and lemon. 17. I cook spaghetti with oil and garlic with a ton of crushed red pepper and parmesan cheese at home, but I’d never cook it at the club. 18. If I could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, it would be Bruce Lee.
19. The most valuable piece of advice I’ve ever received was the golden rule. 20. My favorite celebrity chef is Daniel Humm because he’s a badass. 21. The most important thing in my kitchen is the tilting skillet. 22. I want to learn more about cold-food show work because I feel it is the weakest part of my “toolbox.” 23. My favorite ingredient is butter. Black truffle is the most overrated ingredient. Lemon is the most undervalued ingredient. I detest an overly sweet breakfast, and I can’t live without peanut butter. 24. The rules of conduct in my kitchen are to not judge others and, when putting up a dish, always ask yourself, “Would I serve this to my mother?” 25. I don’t like to brag, but I have hit a hole-in-one.
View the extended conversation with Chef Piazza at www.clubandresortchef.com www.clubandresortchef.com
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