Club + Resort Chef

  • Home
  • Clubs
  • Resorts
  • Recipes
  • 40 Under 40
    • Class of 2025
    • Class of 2024
    • Order: Commemorative Plaque
  • Master Class
  • Documentaries
    • Watch: Inside Ocean Reef
    • Watch: All Ships Rise
  • Certification
  • Resources
    • PlateCraft
    • Chef to Chef
    • C+R Talks
    • Salary Survey Data
    • C+RC Association
    • Digital Issues
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

And the 2017 Mystery Basket Winner is…

By Joanna DeChellis, Editorial Director, Club + Resort Chef | March 29, 2017

On a terrace filled with colleagues who were fully captivated by the action, Blue Hills CC’s Todd Walline won the Mystery Basket competition at the 9th annual Chef to Chef Conference.

On March 6th, 2017, attendees of the 2017 Chef to Chef Conference gathered for a networking reception on the 14th-floor terrace of the Loews Atlanta Hotel to watch four club chefs battle it out in the Conference’s annual Mystery Basket competition.

Participants in this year’s Mystery Basket cook-offs included Brian Coseo, Executive Chef of Sea Pines Country Club, Hilton Head, S.C.; Todd Walline, CEC, CCA, Executive Chef/Director of Food & Beverage of Blue Hills Country Club (pictured above), Kansas City, Mo.; Russell Rosenberg, Executive Chef of the Union League Club of New York (N.Y.); and Micheal Armes, Executive Chef of Hound Ears Club, Boone, N.C.

After the semi-final and final rounds, Walline emerged as the winner, earning a Vitamix blender in the process. The first dish he prepared was an oil-poached and seared cobia with scallops, warm mushrooms and lentils with asparagus and butter-enriched veal glacé. The second was a pan-roasted lamb loin with warm quinoa and black-eyed-pea salad, caramelized baby courgettes and fried purple cauliflower with a pan-reduction sauce.

Rosenberg, who came in second place, won a $250 gift certificate from Triar Seafood.

“I love mystery basket competitions,” says Walline. “I look at them as pop quizzes. Working in private clubs gives chefs’ the opportunity for a pop quiz every day. So mystery baskets are natural extensions of what we do daily.”

The Mystery Basket competition was held after the Conference’s first full day of educational sessions from chef presenters. After the competition and reception concluded, attendees had the evening free to explore Atlanta’s local culinary scene.

“This is my first year coming to Chef to Chef,” continues Walline.  “I came because a number of other club chefs recommended it to me. I’m really glad I did. The ability to go peer to peer and look at some really pertinent subjects like leadership and mentoring has been really great.”

Other networking opportunities during the Conference for attendees, beyond the Monday evening reception and Mystery Basket competition, included Sunday night’s opening reception prior to a plated dinner and the Conference’s keynote address by Michael Leemhuis, CCM, CCE, PGA, President of the Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo, Fla.; breakfasts, lunches and breaks during each day of Conference sessions; and the popular nightly “Chef to Chef Lounge” where many Conference participants got together to wrap up each day in lively and relaxing fashion.

“The networking at this Conference is so valuable,” says Thayer Johnson, Executive Chef of TPC Stonebrae Country Club (Hayward, Calif.), who won the Mystery Basket Competition at the 2016 Chef to Chef Conference in San Diego. “You get to talk with chefs who are at the peak of their profession, who do the same thing you do and have the same challenges you have.”

The 10th Annual Chef to Chef Conference—and a new Mystery Basket competition—will be held in Seattle, Wash. from March 4-6, 2018. Visit www.CheftoChefConference.com later this year for registration information and other details about the 2018 Conference as they are announced.

About The Author

Joanna DeChellis, Editorial Director, Club + Resort Chef

As Editorial Director of Club + Resort Chef, Joanna DeChellis takes an audience-first approach that combines sound journalistic and story-telling principles with an appreciation for and deep knowledge of the intricacies of the club and resort chef market. She oversees the content strategy and programming for Club + Resort Chef and its various platforms including the Chef to Chef Conference. She has penned award-winning pieces about the many intricacies within club and resort food and beverage operations as well as culinary trends, profiles and breaking news. She is co-host of the award-winning podcast Club + Resort Talks, and has served in various content-development roles over the course of her career, including digital, marketing, print, and in-person events. She oversees the Club + Resort Chef Association, the Chef to Chef Conference and PlateCraft. Prior to these roles, she was the Managing Editor of Club + Resort Business, Associate Editor of Food Management Magazine and a contributing writer for Restaurant Hospitality, Supermarket News, Gayot, Cleveland Scene Magazine, and Duetto. Contact her at [email protected].

Related Articles Read More >

Troon Announces Promotions Within Growing Food & Beverage Division
Lawrence McFadden, CMC: Why Humility Is Misunderstood
Now Playing: Showstopper Pastries That Elevate the Buffet Table
Gordon Ramsay Names Addison Reserve Exec Sous Chef Runner-Up On Hell’s Kitchen

PlateCraft

https://youtu.be/9kF2hijL4ek

Chef to Chef Conference

https://youtu.be/aOZc9QDWWWk

C+RC Newsletter

Club + Resort Chef Association

Elevate Your Club and Career: Join CRCA

C+RC Association Join the Club + Resort Chef Association to connect with a network of elite club culinary professionals and access exclusive resources and certifications designed to elevate your skills and career. Embrace the opportunity to showcase your talent, learn from industry leaders, and stay at the forefront of club culinary.

C+RC Digital Issues

Club & Resort Business Browse the latest and archived issues of the premier magazine for club and resort culinary teams, available in a user-friendly and high-quality format. Enjoy the convenience of bookmarking, sharing, and engaging with the top culinary content tailored for club and resort chefs.

Club + Resort Chef
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
  • Submit a Recipe
  • Club & Resort Chef Association
  • Club & Resort Business

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Club + Resort Chef

  • Home
  • Clubs
  • Resorts
  • Recipes
  • 40 Under 40
    • Class of 2025
    • Class of 2024
    • Order: Commemorative Plaque
  • Master Class
  • Documentaries
    • Watch: Inside Ocean Reef
    • Watch: All Ships Rise
  • Certification
  • Resources
    • PlateCraft
    • Chef to Chef
    • C+R Talks
    • Salary Survey Data
    • C+RC Association
    • Digital Issues
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe