Broken Sound Club in Boca Raton, Fla., reopened after a three-year, $42 million renovation with two new restaurants: Zest, featuring small plates and sushi, and CIRQ Grille and Bar, offering elevated classics. Since then, Michelin-starred Chef Bogdan Danila departed as Culinary Director, marking the start of a series of significant leadership changes.
“It’s been transition after transition,” says Executive Chef John Muriel, who oversees CIRQ and a robust banquet operation, alongside Executive Chef of Banquets Michael Bass. “But plans never go accordingly, especially in this type of business. The challenges we face make us better.”
Today, with additional renovations and plans in the works, Muriel, Bass, and a talented team of front- and back-of-house staff work together to meet and exceed the expectations of more than 3,000 members.
“About 75% of the work is building relationships,” Muriel says. It’s a skill that comes naturally to him, honed at Manhattan hotels but perfectly suited to a Boca club.
Pictured, left to right: Executive Pastry Chef Hyewon Kwon, Executive Chef John Muriel, Junior Sous Chef Margarita Rodriguez, Old Course Executive Chef William Quick, Stewarding Manager David Newkirk, Chef de Cuisine Jermaine Lalor, Sous Chef Reimundo Fabregas
Making Moves
Muriel grew up in Queens and was the first in his family to pursue higher education. He graduated with a degree in hospitality management from the New York City College of Technology.
“I ended up really enjoying the kitchen—the atmosphere, everything about it,” he says.
Executive Chef John Muriel
One of Muriel’s first jobs was with the InterContinental New York Barclay, followed by the Millennium Hilton.
“There, I picked up quite a bit of passion and momentum in my career,” he notes. “I was promoted to sous chef. After seven years, I left to be a sous chef at Crowne Plaza in Times Square. That property was a beast—800 rooms right in the middle of Times Square. That was one of my most challenging jobs. But it was also the most rewarding because I learned the most.”
In 2013, Muriel joined The Ritz-Carlton New York as a sous chef, then executive sous. A few years years later, a colleague who Muriel had worked with at The Ritz connected him with John Crean, CCM, CCE, then-GM and CEO of Broken Sound, who was looking to hire an exec sous. After some consideration, Muriel made the move South.
“I met my wife at The Ritz-Carlton; she oversaw one of the lounges,” Muriel explains. “She grew up in Boca, and it was always her idea to come back.”
Muriel admits that the transition from New York City to Florida—and from hotels to clubs—was jarring at first.
“It was tough,” he says. “Coming from New York, with its food scene—I missed it. And the job was completely different from what I was used to. But I can honestly say I love it now. I couldn’t see myself anywhere else.”
After four years as executive sous chef, Muriel left Broken Sound for an executive chef position at Delaire Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla. But he kept in contact with his former colleagues. A year later, he was back.
On the Fly
“Because [Broken Sound] was going through a renovation, they asked me to oversee the new restaurant and the opening procedures,” Muriel says. “The people who work here are tremendous, and the opportunity to put my insight and my imagination into this restaurant enticed me. It felt like a good time.”
After Muriel rejoined the team in mid-2021, there were several major management changes. In 2022, Crean retired after nearly 20 years as GM. That same year, club had hired Danila, a Michelin-starred restaurant chef, as Culinary Director. He departed in July 2023.
“[Muriel] was put in the position to make changes and decisions on the fly,” says Junior Sous Chef Margarita Rodriguez. “We all rallied behind him. There’s a lot of respect—mutual respect—that made it happen.”
Muriel cites his management style and the relationships he’s built as his proudest accomplishment as a chef.
“In some of the jobs I had when I was young, I would see how management treated us—lack of respect, treating you like you were just a number,” Muriel says. “I knew I was going to be a chef someday; I always told myself that this wasn’t the manager I wanted to be.”
Respect, Muriel says, is not guaranteed as a leader; it’s earned.
“Just because I have a title doesn’t mean I know more than a cook who’s been in the kitchen for 40 years,” he says. “There’s a lot that person could teach me. The way I look at it, I just chose a different responsibility and a different way to go about the kitchen.”
At Broken Sound, Muriel greets each team member every morning, and he makes the rounds again before he leaves. He views leadership holistically. Staff are people first and foremost.
“[Chefs] tend to lose track of that,” he says. “We’re very task-driven, and we’ve got to get things done, but we forget the human part of it all.”
“He is very concerned about not only what’s going on work-wise, but he also asks us how we’re doing, how our family is,” says Rodriguez. “And he stresses balance; it’s not all about work.”
Muriel is adept at delegating, Rodriguez adds, and he empowers staff to make decisions and go above and beyond for members.
“Our job is in the details,” Rodriguez says. “There’s a member who brings in a special cheese she can only get in her hometown. A lot of places [frown upon] requests like that; they don’t realize that’s part of our job. It’s not just cooking—it’s hospitality. Something might take longer if it’s a very specific request, but we don’t say no. [Muriel’s] big on that.”
Never the Same
Since CIRQ opened, menus have evolved significantly. When members voiced an interest in more variety, the team took the note and ran with it.
While the lunch buffet is steady—salad bar, whole roasted salmon, burgers, vegetables, a carving station, an omelet station—dinner menus change nearly every day.
“It’s never the same,” says Muriel. “On Mondays, we do ‘burgers and brews,’ which is our most popular night. We have about seven different burgers we create, along with sandwiches, salads, small plates. On Tuesdays, we do a prefix for $45. Wednesdays, we do a Tuscan buffet, which we change every three to four weeks. We have a standing menu on Thursdays and Fridays. Then it’s a la carte with specials. Saturday night, we’re doing a steak night, and Sunday night, a themed buffet.”
It’s an ambitious schedule, with many moving parts. But Muriel describes his own culinary style as simple, with a focus on fresh, local ingredients.
“I know some chefs like to reinvent the wheel,” he says. “I prefer to keep dishes simple, elegant, tasting good and plated nicely. Keeping true to traditions is important to me.”
Rodriguez cites seafood as among Muriel’s strongest culinary skills, particularly his fish preparations.
“He has good synergy between classic techniques, but with local food,” she says. “His cooking is light, clean. It’s zesty and fresh. Everything’s vibrant.”
Bass, who works closely with Muriel, notes that 60% of Broken Sound’s roughly $9M in annual food-and-beverage revenue is driven by its a la carte dining outlets, and 40% comes from banquets.
“We did 22 weddings and about 14 bar mitzvahs last season,” Bass says, “plus golf mixers, tennis mixers, opening events, closing events. Our season closing was a white party celebration on the pool deck. We did a lot of stations and entertainment. It was a memorable event. The team worked together to pull it off.”
Starting Fresh
Broken Sound is now renovating The Old Course clubhouse, including its traditional a la carte venue, with plans to reopen in October under a new name. The club is also installing more pickleball courts, which Bass expects will lead to additional events.
After a successful kids’ sushi-making class, further programming is in the works, as well as workshops to refresh staff skills. Muriel aims to restart chef’s tables, and Rodriguez is spearheading a culinary garden.
“In the fall, when the weather cooperates, we’ll plant things that we’ll incorporate into our specials,” she says.
In the meantime, Muriel notes, summer in Boca is a time to regroup.
“It was tough, all the changes, everything we went through trying to get [the restaurants] open,” he reflects. “Right now, we’re starting the season fresh.”
Come fall, the overarching goal will be meeting and exceeding lofty, post-renovation expectations at every turn.
“From the start of the season until the close, we need to be all gears running at every meal, making sure the members are happy,” Muriel says. “That’s why we’re here.”
