Jared Masters

Meet the Class of 2024: Jared Masters

Jared Masters started as a groundskeeper and worked his way up to Executive Chef of Greenbrier Sporting Club. This career path gave him a great perspective on the inner workings of club operations. Today, he aims to lead his culinary team by example, showing them that hard work and determination can take them anywhere.

Club + Resort Chef (C+RC): How do you feel about being recognized as one of C+RC's 40 Under 40 honorees, and what significance does this achievement hold for you?

Jared Masters (JM): Too often, young cooks see working in a kitchen as a job and not a path to a successful career. Being on this list, for me, shows our young chefs at the Greenbrier Sporting Club that hard work and dedication can lead to great things. Starting as a groundskeeper on the golf course and working my way up through the ranks to Executive Chef has given me a great perspective on this and makes it easy for me to lead by example. As a nominee, it’s an honor and a privilege to be spoken about with the top club and hotel chefs in the country.

C+RC: What advice would you offer young chefs aiming to excel in the club and resort culinary industry?

JM: When you find a good hotel and club that will invest in your career, stay a while. Learn as much as you can about your craft. It's not a requirement to bounce around the country just to put places on your resume.

C+RC: Can you share a personal challenge you've faced in your career and explain how it has shaped you as a chef? 

JM: The Greenbrier Sporting Club had a horrific thousand-year flood come through our property a few years ago. It decimated the bottom part of the club. Our restaurant on top of the mountain was unharmed but still without power. We had a wedding booked for two hundred people the next day. We changed the menu where we could, used a lot of open fire and pulled off the wedding with no power. Learning how to manage that stress, the safety of the staff, and giving a memorable event for our members was something that shaped me personally.

C+RC: What are your future goals and your plan to achieve them?

JM: One goal is making the team for Team USA in the Culinary Olympics. I plan to work more closely with the past team members to help develop the skills needed. The second goal is to grow more products on our family farm to use in our two restaurants and private events. Each year, the culinary team, my father, and I sit down to talk about what we want to grow for the season. That way, we know we will have an ample supply of vegetables for both restaurants and banquets.

C+RC: What inspired your career in the club and resort sector?

JM: There is a legendary number of great chefs from the Greenbrier Hotel. So, when I decided to become a cook professionally, it was a no-brainer to train at the hotel and then the Greenbrier Sporting Club. I grew up farming in the area, and it was an interesting way to use my background in farming and combine it with being a chef.