Registration is officially open for the 2026 Chef to Chef Conference, taking place March 8-10 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Chefs and culinary leaders from clubs and resorts nationwide will gather for three days shaped around learning, connection, and practical ideas they can bring home to their teams.
Andrew Haapala, Executive Chef of The Country Club of Virginia, provides an exclusive look at his upcoming session.
Club + Resort Chef (C+RC): What can you tell attendees about your session? What should they expect learn?
Andrew Haapala (AH): My session is a behind-the-scenes look at how we transformed a working banquet kitchen into one of the most in-demand dining experiences at The Country Club of Virginia. I’ll walk attendees through the entire Chef’s Table process—from atmosphere and lighting to workflow, timing, menu construction, and how to move from course to course with precision and confidence, in non-traditional spaces.
We’ll cover both the culinary and experiential sides: how to create intimacy in a production kitchen, how to manage service tempo when your guests are only a few feet away, and how to orchestrate a multi-course dinner or a kitchen cocktail party while still maintaining the integrity of your food. Most importantly, Chefs will learn that you don’t need a massive kitchen or a design budget to create something memorable. You need thoughtful setup, intelligent planning, and respect for the ingredients and the guests who trusted you with their night.
C+RC: Why is this topic meaningful to you?
AH: The Chef’s Table is significant to me because it’s one of the few times I get to cook directly for people again. As an Executive Chef overseeing multiple outlets and operations, my team writes the menus for most of our restaurants. These dinners are the rare moments where I get to step back into that creative space and connect with members and guests through food.
It also represents ten years of refining the experience—lighting, countertops, decor, workflow—all built slowly, intentionally, and with respect for the craft. The Chef’s Table is the best example of what I believe in: When you bring people into the kitchen and dissolve the barrier between the Chefs and the guests, something honest and meaningful happens.
For me, it’s not just another dinner. It’s hospitality at its most personal. And it’s an expression of who we are as chefs.
C+RC: What about Chef to Chef are you most looking forward to? Why should chefs to take time out of their busy schedules to attend?
AH: Chef to Chef is one of the few gatherings where chefs can honestly talk to other chefs about the work we do—the creative side, the operational side, and everything in between. I’m looking forward to the conversations, the camaraderie, and the chance to share ideas with people who understand the demands of this profession in a way that few others do.
It’s important to step away from our kitchens because growth doesn’t happen in isolation. Events like this recharge us. They give us new techniques, new perspectives, and new ways of elevating the experiences we provide back home. And honestly, it’s rare for chefs to be surrounded by peers who inspire them—that alone makes Chef to Chef worth the time.
When we invest in our own development, we bring that energy and knowledge back to our teams, our members, and our clubs. That’s why this conference matters.
