Conference advances club culinary education.

Over 250 country club chefs from 39 different states, as well as Canada, traveled to The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV for the first annual Club Chef Institute held Oct. 31 through Nov. 3, 2004.

"Culinary education has long been a focus of The Greenbrier and we realized there was a real need to customize a program specific to the club chef," said Rod Stoner, vice president, food and beverage for The Greenbrier Resort and Club Management Company. "The goal in creating the agenda was to provide a setting where club chefs could take something of value from every meal and lecture, whether conducted by a Certified Master Chef or a leading hospitality educator. Plus, when you bring together 250 country club chefs from all over North America, the energy and exchange of ideas is boundless!"

The three-day seminar included a variety of topics ranging from "What's on the Menu this Season?" to "Understanding the Art of A Club Chef." Here are just a few of the highlights of this informative seminar.

Peter Timmins, CMC and executive chef of The Greenbrier, teamed up with his colleague and friend, Lawrence McFadden, CMC and Vice President Culinary for Ritz Carlton Hotels, to present "Small Plates and Buffet Presentations." McFadden's portion focused on the educated palate of the ever-changing customer in today's food savvy market. Timmins reinforced this with a demonstration that featured unique and creative approaches to food buffets that keep up with the "Gastronomic Joneses" while keeping abreast of food cost and safety.

"Menu Analysis" and "Make Versus Buy" were the topics of Dr. Brett Horton, professor at James Madison University's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Horton urged attendees to weigh in on the value of maintaining a from-scratch mentality with club signature items while considering the cost savings associated with buying quality ready-made products from vendors.

Mark Erickson, CMC and Vice President of Continuing Education at The Culinary Institute of America, Greystone, dazzled the audience with "10 Ways to Control Food Cost" and "Understanding the Art of A Club Chef." Erickson also acted as the master of ceremonies for the final gala dinner, "An Evening of Wine and Food," while testing the audience with the selected food and wine pairings for that show-stopping event.

Other sessions included a presentation on the ACF Certification process with Hartmut Handke, CMC and Ed Leonard, CMC, and team captain for the United States Culinary Olympic Team (which by the way took the World Cup in hot foods). A "Food Trends Panel" comprised of industry professionals took the attendees through the hot spots of food trends and how they could use those trends to create a winning repertoire of menus and presentations that would enhance member satisfaction. "Your Culinary Brigade" was headed by Dr. Catherine Gustafson, Ph.D., CCM, CHE from the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management at University of South Carolina. The session prompted new ways to conquer language barriers and cultural issues that result from the highly diverse group of employees who are so prevalent in country club kitchens.

Each meal during the Institute was designed to "push the envelope" by offering new and interesting ways to prepare and present food. During their stay, the club chefs enjoyed a family style evening that focused on the Foods of The Virginias, a Pacific Rim inspired lunch that showcased new ways to present seated and served meals, and a Food Trends Dine Around accented by the food creations of the Certified Master Chefs.

On departure, a club chef from Florida asked Stoner how on earth The Greenbrier would top the experience, and Stoner replied, "You have to come back next year to see!"