In the second of this two-part series, Glenmoor CC’s Executive Chef explores the many different facets and traits necessary to succeed as a club chef. As a country club chef, the misconceived glamor associated with being an Executive Chef includes a whole other set of hats to wear than discussed in the first part of…
The Truth about Being a Chef
In the first of this two-part series, Glenmoor Country Club’s Executive Chef explores the many different facets and traits necessary to succeed as an executive chef. There’s a lot of hype surrounding the ideology of a professional chef. Perspectives range from your average greasy spoon devotee to the know-all, tell-all, experimental, trendy foodie. To the…
Five Tips For Young (or New) Cooks “These Days”
According to Glemoor CC’s Executive Chef, if you want to be successful in this industry, you must have the right attitude—a productive one. A colleague of mine and I were recently lamenting the fact that there are so few articles geared toward staff “these days.” You know, the ones that offer tips on how to…
Why It’s Critical For Chefs to Stay Focused
Glenmoor CC’s Executive Chef rediscovers the importance of her role. In an ideal world, I would live inside my little chef bubble and do nothing but play and experiment with food, creativity, plate presentation and menu composition. But as a professional chef, my days are filled with non-stop activity, stress and emotion. It’s amazing how quickly…
How Many Chances Does One Person Deserve?
Glenmoor Country Club’s Executive Chef, Penelope Wong, says promising staff members deserve a chance to learn from their mistakes. As Executive Chef of Glenmoor Country Club (Cherry Hills Village, Colo.), one of my biggest flaws is giving second and third chances. It’s also one of my biggest strengths. My sous would agree that I’m too lenient…
My Evolving Management Style
My management style is evolving and adaptable. And I think this particular style is important not only to me but to other manager’s who hope to survive the current workforce challenges we all face. In recent months, one of the more popular water cooler conversations around in my club zeros in on management of staff…
Hitting my Breaking Point with Hiring
Penelope Wong, Executive Chef of Glenmoor Country Club, shares a frustrating exchange with an applicant who epitomizes egotism and entitlement. Breaking Points—we all have them. In our fast-paced, high-stress industry, it’s easy for anyone who works in our environment to lose his or her cool at least 28 times a day. During staff reviews, I…
Understanding the Sacred Cow
A “sacred cow,” by definition is an individual, organization, or institution considered to be exempt from criticism or questioning. By trade, a sacred cow is an individual who is often critiqued and questioned behind closed doors by those who must attempt to manage them. Sacred cows are ubiquitous in the private club industry. Over the…