In the strongest showing ever for an American chef, the Executive Chef at the Pepper Pike, Ohio club bested all but one competitor in the global event, held in Norway on July 3.

Competing against top chefs from around the world, Scott Ryan, Executive Chef of The Country Club (Pepper Pike, Ohio) had the strongest showing ever for an American chef, besting all but one in The Global Chefs Challenge, an international competition presented by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS). The event was held in Stavanger, Norway on July 3.

The competition, which is held every two years as part of the WACS World Culinary Congress, featured chefs from Australia, Hong Kong, Italy, Norway, South Africa and Switzerland along with Chef Ryan. Ryan won the 2013 Global Chefs Challenge Semi-Finals, affording him the opportunity to compete this year representing the Americas region. Another member of The Country Club’s culinary team, Brandon Veres, assisted Ryan as his apprentice.

At the Global Chefs Challenge, the competitors were given seven hours to create a four-course menu for 12 people, utilizing specific ingredients including halibut, Wagyu beef, wasabi and tea.

Ryan said it was a huge honor to represent the Americas in the Global Chefs Challenge. “I feel blessed to have the opportunity to compete at this level, and owe a great deal to the culinary, service and management team at the Club that supported me. The Country Club’s membership has also been very supportive, and we even had some of our members and our General Manager travel to Norway to cheer us on.”

“Chef Scott puts a tremendous amount of hard work and passion into everything he does and we are extremely proud of his accomplishments,” Robert Josey, General Manager at The Country Club, said. “The Country Club is celebrating its 125^th Anniversary this year, and his achievement was a very special addition to our slate of activities.”

Now that the competition is over, Ryan looks forward to spending more time with his team, training them to make their own mark in the culinary world.

Chef Ryan presented at the 2014 Chef to Chef Conference in San Antonio. To view his biography, recipes and presentation, Giving Clubs a “Competitive” and Distinctive Edge, with New Spins on Old Classics, click here.