Andrew Haapala, the newly appointed Executive Chef of The Country Club of Virginia, discusses his transition from Executive Sous Chef to his current role as Executive Chef. He explains his reasons for staying at the club as Exec Sous for nearly nine years, highlighting growth opportunities, management and members’ support, and the job’s ever-changing nature. He shares his plans for the club’s future, focusing on individual and team development, training initiatives, and expanding the club’s operations. He also reveals a new training module he created for chefs de cuisine to enhance their management skills and knowledge of club operations.
About The Author
Joanna DeChellis, Director of Editorial and Programming, Club + Resort Chef
As Director of Editorial and Programming 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].