March 2 marked the first full day of educational sessions at the seventh annual event in Savannah, Ga., covering a slate of culinary topics.
With a record number of chefs in attendance, the 2015 Chef to Chef Conference, held at The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa in Savannah, Ga., hosted the first full day of sessions on March 2.
To begin the day, chefs enjoyed a presentation by Nick Mueller, Mahgniffe LLC, Savannah, Ga., that focused on lowcountry cuisine. Mueller made pecan-crusted grouper, black-eyed pea succotash, and buttermilk grits.
Another local presenter followed Mueller. Matthew Roher, Senior Executive Chef, at The Landings Club in Savannah, Ga., discussed organic gardening and earth-to-table fare, as well as ways to use sous vide in catering. Olivier Andreini, CMC, Country Club of Landfall, Wilmington, N.C., continued on the topic of sous vide, discussing safe and effective use, while answering a myriad of questions from the crowd.
Joey Abitabilo, Executive Chef, Shelter Harbor Golf Club, Charlestown, R.I., completed the morning’s sessions with an informative overview of baking bread in-house by taking small steps throughout the day to move the process along.
After lunch, Jon Maley, Executive Chef, The University of Washington Club, Seattle, Wash., talked about kitchen staffing issues, including ways to keep employees engaged and motivated on the job. The day wrapped up with a General Manager’s panel with Robert Williams, CCM, CEC, General Manager/COO, Westmoreland Club, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; John Dorman, General Manager, The University Club of New York; and Michael Redmond, CEC, CCM, General Manager/COO, The Metropolitan Club of the City of Washington (D.C.), who each discussed how they began their careers as chefs and ultimately became General Managers.
In the evening, Conference attendees gathered for a cocktail reception on the harbor. Four chefs competed in a Mystery Basket competition, in which Ashleigh Germond, CEC, Chef de Cuisine at Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pa., was named the winner. Attendees then had the evening free to dine in Savannah.
For additional coverage of the Conference, follow @Club_and_Resort on Twitter, and don’t forget to contribute your own tweets using hashtag #cheftochef2015.
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