Club chefs looking to improve their photography skills can learn and apply these tips from two pros.

How to bring the front and back together to ensure a great member dining experience. There are many moving parts within a club’s food-and-beverage operation. From chefs and line cooks to servers and dining room managers, everyone should be working toward the same goal: to offer an outstanding member dining experience. But mistakes are made,…

The best guest-chef events offer something totally different than the norm, while bringing the club culinary world a little closer together. Club chefs are making cameo appearances in each other’s kitchens. As a result, members are gaining access to some of the industry’s best culinary talent. “Although our members love the cuisine we regularly offer,…

With food and beverage in the spotlight, clubs are investing in back-of-house upgrades. Here are three examples. Club kitchens house the heart and soul of every food-and-beverage operation. It’s where the food is prepared and where the staff that prepares it works its magic. But often, especially in older clubhouses, the layout of the kitchen…

Young culinarians can thrive in club kitchens when training and mentoring allows them to develop their skills and competencies. Millennials—the generation born between 1980 and 1996—get a bad rap. They’re said to feel entitled and be narcissistic and addicted to social media. They job-hop. They lack engagement. They always ask why. The thing is, millennials…

Four club chefs share insights into how they keep costs in line. Without constant vigilance, food costs can spiral out of control. And the subsequent “solutions”—raising prices, lowering quality, or worse—can be damaging to a club’s food-and-beverage operation. The better way to maintain a budgeted cost structure is to control it in a sustained fashion.…

Taking to platforms like Facebook and Instagram is helping culinarians market themselves, and their clubs. Food photography dominates digital feeds—from a perfectly composed amuse-bouche, to a panorama of new grills, to a beautiful wine dinner on the course. Ditto for culinary blogs, recipes and videos that are being shared, “liked” and linked. If the content…

Club chefs are taking the “farm-to-table” movement one step closer by growing fruits, herbs and vegetables on property. When clubs grow their own ingredients, it’s pretty much guaranteed that an outstanding dish isn’t far behind. That’s certainly the case at Medinah (Ill.) Country Club, where Executive Chef Michael Ponzio asked for a garden shortly after…

How club chefs are overcoming the shortage of skilled culinary talent that can step right up to the plate. Clubs across the country are facing difficult labor challenges in their dining operations. Open positions abound, from qualified cooks to dishwashers to sous and pastry chefs. This topic often gets club chefs fired up, too. Many…

How three different clubs with three different budgets keep their numbers in line. Because clubs typically operate member dining as an amenity rather than as a profit center, their food costs generally run higher than in commercial restaurants. As a result, the strategies associated with controlling food costs in clubs are unique. Some club chefs…

While the most basic types are pretty simple, others like coppa salami or fermented sausages can be lethal if not made correctly. It used to be a big deal if a chef made his or her own salami. But charcuterie and salumi have come a long way, and in line with the trend to local…

More credibility and a dedication to education are among the top reasons chefs seek certification.

Active honey bee colonies at these two clubs are yielding sweet rewards.