Mark your calendar for March 4-6 to include the Chef to Chef Conference as part of your club or resort’s 2012 continuing education plans.
I understand it’s only July; however, budget season is on the horizon and if you haven’t started thinking about plans and strategies for 2012, you will soon enough. One of the key elements for the ongoing success of your club or resort is the continuing education or training line on the P&L. In fact, one of the greatest attributes of this industry is the enduring commitment that owners and Boards of Directors make to the continuing education of their key operating personnel, in both good times and bad.
Long-standing budget items at your club have likely included the PGA Merchandise Show & Convention for the golf pro; the NGCOA/GCSAA co-sponsored Golf Industry Show and Education Conferences for the owner and superintendent; and, of course, the CMAA World Conference and Club Business Expo for the general manager/COO.
The most recent addition to these line items is the Club & Resort Business Chef to Chef Conference, which addresses the continuing education and networking needs of another key member of the management team—the executive chef. Heading into its fourth year, the Chef to Chef Conference is the industry’s only hands-on conference that is devoted exclusively to the special needs of club and resort food-and-beverage operations.
Naturally, you want a return on your continuing education investments, and the Chef to Chef Conference agenda provides unique peer-to-peer dialogue with industry leaders, hands-on training, and ideas that chefs can implement upon their return from the conference. Plus, attendees earn continuing education credits from both the American Culinary Federation and CMAA.
It’s important to know that club chefs don’t come to Chef to Chef to learn how to cook, although the live cooking demos are a highlight of the conference. The learning goes well beyond the culinary aspects of the job. For example, one of the most highly rated sessions at this year’s conference (held at The Fairmont in San Francisco) was presented by John Wright, ECM, GM/COO at Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis, Mo. John’s session, “What Club GMs Expect from Their Chefs—and What Chefs Should Want in Return,” was based on an eight-point checklist of expectations that he has, and his remarks resonated with the audience. While you won’t have the benefit of John’s passion for the subject, you can check out his presentation at www.CheftoChefConference.com—it will be well worth your time, and you can take a look at other presentations from this year’s conference, too.
The 2012 Chef to Chef Conference will be held March 4-6 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans. Plans for the conference are well under way and will include an opening dinner reception and keynote address, as well as two full days of sessions dedicated to peer-to-peer presentations, breakout discussions and live culinary demonstrations.
Chef to Chef is designed primarily for your executive chef; however, we have seen more GMs attend each year and the chefs are enthusiastic about having their bosses with them. If you would like to receive e-mail updates for yourself and/or your chef with more specific details for registration, the conference agenda and related activities, simply send me an e-mail at [email protected] and I will add you to our distribution list.
In the meantime, mark your calendar and include the Chef to Chef Conference as part of your club or resort’s 2012 continuing education plans. Your chef will appreciate the learning opportunity and the investment in his or her continued development. And your club will benefit from the ideas he/she brings home.
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