Chef Bruce and Chef Tim are our instructors for this phase. They both have a ton of experience in the industry at various "Clubs" around town. Clubs can consist of dining clubs, like the St. Louis Club, where I work or county clubs, golf clubs, athletic clubs, or other social/business clubs.
The Club experience is very different from that of a typical restaurant. They often have large kitchens with several departments and many staff. Clubs often have several "outlets" or restaurants including a banquet department, pastry department, fine dining- a la carte, and casual dining. All of the departments have to work together for the club to succeed; for example, the revenue from weddings, parties, and meetings produced in the banquet department will allow for more high-end dishes to be made in the a la carte outlets of the Club. If the members are happy eating in the club then they will think of the club when planning their social events.
Clubs generally have a discerning clientel that wants both a fine dining experience as well as healthier choices. Chefs in a Club setting also have to be versatile and cater to the members needs and will generally make anything a member requests to eat. Clubs will often serve three meals a day and have seasonal revolving menus. Like most restaurants, they will offer specials of the day as well. Working in a club can be challenging, although the outlets may not produce high volume the quality of cuisine that is produced is generally at a higher skill level than most restaurants.
As a bonus, Clubs often offer chefs health insurance and paid vacation both of which are hard to come by in the food service industry.
I am very excited to be learning from both Chef Bruce and Chef Tim this phase.
Today in class Chef Bruce demoed a pork loin, braised cabbage, bulgar pilaf, and a jus lie. We will be replicating this dish tomorrow.
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| Chef Bruce with Chef Tim in the background |
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