Club + Resort Business

  • Home
  • Course+Grounds
  • Design+Renovation
  • Food+Beverage
  • Golf
  • Management
  • Technology
  • Top Ranked
    • 2022 Top Ranked Racquet Facilities
    • 2022 Aquatics & Pools
    • 2022 Fitness & Wellness Centers
    • 2022 Culinary Experiences
    • Locker Rooms
    • Patios
    • Pro Shops
  • People
  • Resources
    • C+RB Playbooks
      • Culinary Playbook
      • Kitchen Equipment and Design Playbook
      • Maintenance Employees Playbook
    • Digital Issues
    • ECM Awards
    • FAQ
    • Leaders in Clubs + Resorts
    • Podcasts
    • Sponsored Content
    • 2022 Club + Resort Business Leadership
    • Videos
      • The Road Ahead/The Road Back
      • Unboxing Videos
    • Webinars
      • Membership Marketing Webinar Series

Designing Chaferless Buffets

By Joanna DeChellis, Editor, Club + Resort Chef | June 6, 2018

Merion GC’s Executive Chef shares tips for building modern buffets.

Buffets are an essential service style. But to display buffet food, chefs are moving away from chafing dishes, which are now viewed as old-fashioned and boring.chaferless buffets

Instead, buffets now feature a series of service styles to showcase the variety of dishes being served, including chef-manned action stations and clever plating presentations with more attractive vessels.

At Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., Executive Chef Jerry Schreck—who is also a regular contributor to Club & Resort Business—goes above and beyond to create modern buffets without chafers that are much more aesthetically pleasing. Doing so allows Merion members to enjoy both the food and the culinary team’s inventiveness.

“Chaferless buffets can be really flexible,” says Schreck, who will present on this topic at the next Chef to Chef Conference in New Orleans, March 12-14, 2019. “They allow us to create a different and innovative look. They force us to think outside the box, and they often surprise and delight our members.”

Before taking away the chafers, however, food safety must be considered. “Don’t go chaferless if you have a buffet open for an extended period of time,” says Schreck. “In situations where the buffet has to be open for a couple of hours, chafing dishes are necessary.”

But when it’s safe to do so, modern technology can offer a number of other heat sources for buffets, including direct or indirect heat, canned fuel, steam, butane, torch, electric and induction.

“It’s possible to continue to cook proteins and keep caramelization when you go chaferless, as long as you use the correct process,” says Schreck. “The biggest challenge in tending to the food is that it must be constantly refreshed.”

Once the proper temperature controls are in place and safety is ensured, Schreck suggests that chefs unleash their creativity and think boldly as they create displays to “wow” members and guests.

“At Merion, the culinary team designs and builds the buffet displays, so there is less repetitiveness or following standard diagrams, and more ingenuity,” says Schreck.

“Plus, chaferless buffets keep the crew engaged and gets them in front of the members,” he adds. “Re-traying and rearranging food creates more culinary interaction, which is entertaining in its own way.”

Planning and plating are also critical to success.

“Be creative and develop a plan,” says Schreck, who suggests using pans, ceramic bakeware and other interesting plating vehicles to enhance the look of the food being served. “You can present a lot of different foods using induction and a stainless-steel paella pan or a cast-iron pan,” he notes.

Risers can also enhance the look, because buffets are usually more captivating if members’ eyes are drawn to different levels.

“The goal is always to make the food the star of every buffet,” says Schreck, who uses many different materials to create displays for every conceivable requirement. “The creative possibilities are endless.”

About The Author

Joanna DeChellis, Editor, Club + Resort Chef

As Editor of Club + Resort Chef, Joanna DeChellis has written dozens of profiles detailing the inner workings of food and beverages operations at clubs and resorts across the country. She’s penned award-winning articles about the many intricacies within food and beverage as well as culinary trends and breaking news. She is co-host of the award-winning podcast, Club + Resort Talks, and has served in a variety of content-development roles over the course of her career, including digital, marketing, print, and in-person events. She’s also the Director of Community for the Club + Resort Chef Association. Prior to these roles, she was the Managing Editor of Club & Resort Business.

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Related Articles Read More >

Executive Chef Geoffrey Lanez is Wise Beyond His Years
Drew Tait
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Focus
Steal These Action Station Ideas
Can’t Make Chef to Chef? Join Us on the Livestream
Top Ranked Private Club and Resorts

C+RB Newsletter Sign Up

Club and Resort Chef

ClubandresortChef

Club + Resort Talks

July 28, 2022
Capstone Hospitality Helps Clubs Maximize Membership Opportunities
See More >

Club + Resort Business Digital Editions

Club & Resort BusinessBrowse the current issue and archived issues of Club & Resort Business in an easy-to-use, high-quality format. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading club and resort magazine today.



Club + Resort Business
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Submit Industry News
  • New Print Subscription
  • Manage Current Print Subscription
  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • Club + Resort Chef
  • Club + Resort Chef Association
  • Club + Resort Chef Recipes
  • Chef to Chef Conference

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Club + Resort Business

  • Home
  • Course+Grounds
  • Design+Renovation
  • Food+Beverage
  • Golf
  • Management
  • Technology
  • Top Ranked
    • 2022 Top Ranked Racquet Facilities
    • 2022 Aquatics & Pools
    • 2022 Fitness & Wellness Centers
    • 2022 Culinary Experiences
    • Locker Rooms
    • Patios
    • Pro Shops
  • People
  • Resources
    • C+RB Playbooks
      • Culinary Playbook
      • Kitchen Equipment and Design Playbook
      • Maintenance Employees Playbook
    • Digital Issues
    • ECM Awards
    • FAQ
    • Leaders in Clubs + Resorts
    • Podcasts
    • Sponsored Content
    • 2022 Club + Resort Business Leadership
    • Videos
      • The Road Ahead/The Road Back
      • Unboxing Videos
    • Webinars
      • Membership Marketing Webinar Series