Club + Resort Chef has announced the eight chefs who will compete in this year’s mystery basket-style culinary competition. The annual event will take place at the 2022 Chef to Chef Conference in Nashville during an afternoon cocktail reception on Tuesday, March 22, 3-4:30 pm.
- Anthony Capua, Executive Chef, Sycamore Hills Golf Club
- James Allen, CEC, Executive Chef, Blackthorn Club at the Ridges
- Jason Hembree, Executive Chef, Doylestown Country Club
- Jen Landy, Executive Chef, Battleground Country Club
- Robert Meitzer, Executive Chef, Forest Lake Country Club
- Steve Boeger, Executive Chef, Hendersonville Country Club
- Wesley Tyler CEC, CCA, WCMC, Executive Chef, The Club at Carlton Woods
- Will Bystrzycki, Executive Chef, Wildcat Cliffs Country Club
The eight club chef competitors will be grouped into four teams. During three exciting rounds, the teams will have access to an extensive spread of ingredients, equipment and plateware. Each round will last 25 minutes and conclude with a group of judges determining the winner.
Points will be awarded for: (1) taste, (2) plating and (3) originality.
The Club + Resort Chef of the Year Culinary Competition plays a vital role in the Chef to Chef Conference, offering an exciting, live cooking experience for attendees and competitors.
Former Club + Resort Chef of the Year Winners
- 2020: Scott Craig, CEC, CCA, WCMC, Myers Park Country Club; J. Kevin Walker, CMC, AAC Ansley Golf Club
- 2019: Eva Barrios, CEC, Austin Country Club; Nelson Millán, San Antonio Country Club
- 2018: Brandon Gross, The Metropolitan Club of the City of Washington D.C
- 2017: Todd Walline, CEC, CCA, Blue Hills Country Club
- 2016: Thayer Johnson, Castlewood Country Club
Meet This Year’s Competing Club Chefs
Jason Hembree is the Executive Chef of Doylestown (Pa.) Country Club. In his time at Doylestown CC, since 2017, Hembree’s transformed the club’s menus, built a strong culinary team, developed a renovation plan for multiple outlets at the club and more.
Robert Meitzer has served as Executive Chef of Forest Lake Country Club in Columbia, S.C., for the past two years. At Forest Lake CC, he oPreviously, Meitzer was the Executive Chef for Windsor Club in Vero Beach, Fla., and Executive Chef of Mountaintop Golf & Lake Club in Cashiers, N.C. Meitzer holds several certifications and degrees, including a Master Gardener Certification from Colorado State University.
Anthony Capua is the Executive Chef of Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Ind. Prior to his current role, he spent three years as Executive Sous Chef of Fiddlesticks Country Club (Fort Myers, Fla.), as well as Chef de Cuisine of Hammock Beach Resort (Palm Coast, Fla.), where he had his first real taste of kitchen life.
Jen Landy is the Executive Chef of Battleground Country Club in Manalapan Township, N.J. Under her mentor, Carolyn Flinn, now serving as Executive Chef of Canoebrooke Country Club, Landy worked as Sous Chef of Deal Golf and Country Club for seven years. She also worked under the guidance of Executive Chef Maurice Maglione at Manasquan River Golf Club.
James Allen, CEC, is the Executive Chef of Blackthorn Club at the Ridges in Jonesborough, Tenn. Allen graduated at the top of his class from Le Cordon Bleu in Minneapolis, Minn., and continued his training at Chez Hans, a Michelin-recognized restaurant in Cashel, Ireland. While in Ireland he learned the importance of supporting local farmers and the impact it has on his menu. He continues this local approach at the Blackthorn Club by incorporating ingredients from area farms.
Wesley Tyler CEC, CCA, WCMC, is the Executive Chef of The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, a position he’s held since June 2020. Prior to Carlton Woods, he was with The Clubs at Houston Oaks (Hockley, Texas). Tyler has said that he knew he wanted to be a chef when he started cooking for close friends in college.
Steve Boeger is the Executive Chef of Hendersonville (N.C.) Country Club, a position he’s held for the past five years. Previously, he was the Executive Chef of Highland Lake Inn & Resort in Flat Rock, N.C., and of The Venue in Asheville, N.C. During the pandemic, he learned three important lessons: listen and hear, have compassion, and gratitude for his team.
Will Bystrzycki has been the Executive Chef of Wildcat Cliffs Country Club in Highlands, N.C., since 2017. Previously, he served as Executive Sous Chef of Highlands (N.C.) Country Club and Sous Chef of The Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C. Bystrzycki was born in Morganton, N.C., and attended Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, S.C., earning an associate degree in Culinary Arts.
The action will unfold on March 22 at 3 pm in Nashville. To learn more about Club + Resort Chef’s annual Chef to Chef Conference, visit www.cheftochefconference.com.
