MANAGER to CHEF
How Unifying the Team Will Improve the Club As Wycliffe G&CC evolves its offerings and refines its capabilities, retaining a unified, team-based culture will be critical. Christopher Park, Executive Chef of Wycliffe G&CC (left) with Rob Martin, CCM, CAM, General Manager/COO.
By Joanna DeChellis, Editor
ROB MARTIN, CCM, CAM, General Manager/COO of Wycliffe Golf & Country Club (Wellington, Fla.), has spent his entire career in the club industry and has worked at some of the best clubs in the country, including Grandfather Golf & Country Club (Linville, N.C.), PGA National Resort & Spa (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), and River Oaks Country Club (Houston, Texas). Having worked in all parts of a club, Martin knows the importance of having a unified team led by strong, humble individuals. He was instrumental in hiring the club’s Executive Chef, Christopher Park. Together, they function with a millennial mindset trained to unite not just the front and back of the house, but the entire club. C2C: What is the relationship like between you and Chef Park? RM: Just before I became General Manager, the previous chef had left for the restaurant world. One of my first hires was for an Executive Chef. I was looking for 32
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someone who could help to take us in a new direction. I wanted someone with club experience, but who was hungry for their first Executive Chef role. C2C: What made Chef Park stand out? RM: His resume was impressive. He began his career at a Marriott Hotel and worked at high-volume, quality operations, including the Breakers Hotel, BallenIsles Country Club and Ibis Golf & Country Club. He was motivated to become an Executive Chef, but no one had given him his big break—until he came to Wycliffe in 2017. I saw a lot of similarities between myself and him. I suspected we would get along very well and be able to do some impressive things together. He made it to the final two, and then he knocked the tasting “out of the park” and we offered him the job. C2C: What did he prepare for the tasting? RM: He did a play on meat and potatoes, with Tomahawk steaks on a wooden board www.clubandresortchef.com
