November marked year three of PlateCraft, a Chef to Chef Experience, hosted by Club + Resort Chef and Cullasaja Club (Executive Chef Scott Craig, WCMC, CCCD) in Highlands, N.C., with additional support from neighboring Highlands Country Club (Executive Chef Angel Herrera).
Like the annual Chef to Chef Conference (March 8-10, 2026 at The Broadmoor), PlateCraft is an event specifically dedicated to club and resort chefs’ continuous learning, but the experience for attendees of these events is vastly different. While Chef to Chef hosts hundreds, PlateCraft is an immersive, two-day workshop for a small group of about 25 club chefs from across the country who want to push their craft in a highly hands-on environment.
While last year’s PlateCraft centered around The Grand Buffet, this year’s event honed in on the Chef’s Table. Teams of attendees collaborated, cooked together, and created a chef’s table-style meal together with guidance from top culinary leaders: Cullasaja Club’s Craig; The Country Club of North Carolina’s Adam Deviney, CEC; Forsyth Country Club’s Lance Cook, WCMC, CCCD, WSET II; Mizner Country Club’s Daniel Montano, CECC; and Andy Chlebana, CMPC, instructor at Joliet Junior College.
At the end of day two, attendees were able to take a seat at the table to experience the meal as members would, tasting the results of their work, collaboration, and shared commitment to craft. The evening served as a celebration of process, precision, and the connection that happens when chefs get the opportunity to gather and create together.
As part of C+RC’s 2026 Cookbook, several of PlateCraft attendees—including Ailee Apac, CEC, Restaurant Chef, Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C.—shared a recipe they found success with at a chef’s table at their own clubs, plus the inspiration behind the dish and why it works.
Club + Resort Chef (C+RC): What inspired this dish?
Ailee Apac (AA): I wanted to show two contrasting flavor that blend well together. Squid ink pasta brings this deep, salty, almost brooding flavor, and uni is the opposite—soft, sweet, and buttery. Putting them together felt like the right way to create something luxurious but still very clean and honest. It’s a dish that doesn’t hide behind technique; it just highlights great ingredients in a focused way.
C+RC: What are the circumstances surrounding the chef’s table?
AA: Our chef’s table is unique because our club members come often—and many of them return specifically for the chef’s table experience. It’s great because we build real connections with them, but it also means we can’t repeat dishes or send out the same menu too many times. The pressure is to keep things fresh and keep challenging ourselves. Every seating needs to feel new, personal, and intentional, so the guests feel like they’re getting something created just for them.
C+RC: What was R&D like?
AA: R&D was all about finding balance. We tested a lot of versions—sauces that were too heavy, too acidic, too subtle. The turning point was building a base with aromatics, wine, lobster stock, cream, and crème fraîche, then adding the uni at the very end so it stayed bright and naturally sweet. We played with different pasta thicknesses, resting times, and hydration until the chitarra held the sauce exactly the way we wanted. It was a lot of small tweaks, but each one moved us closer to the final dish.
C+RC: What were the biggest challenges?
AA: Uni is incredibly delicate. A little too much heat or the wrong amount of acidity, and it loses everything that makes it special. Getting the sauce to taste rich but still fresh took patience. The pasta was another challenge—squid ink changes the texture of the dough, so we had to get the hydration just right. And then there’s consistency: every tray of uni is a bit different. Making the dish taste the same every night took some real discipline.
C+RC: How would you describe the flavors and presentation?
AA: The flavors are clean, warm, and very ocean-forward. The squid ink pasta gives a salty, mineral base, and the uni emulsion adds this silky sweetness that rounds everything out. Together, it feels rich but not heavy.
For presentation, we keep it simple: a tight nest of black chitarra in the center of the bowl, surrounded by a ring of golden uni emulsion. A few pristine lobes of uni on top, a little citrus zest, a few micro herbs and a spoonful of osetra caviar that adds that luxurious pop of briny and richness. It’s bold, but in a quiet, confident way.
This dish is all about showcasing the ocean in different textures and flavors. The squid ink chitarra has a firm, satisfying bite and a subtle briny note. It’s coated in a silky uni emulsion—warm, buttery, and naturally sweet, with a touch of lobster stock and cream to bring everything together.
C+RC: What makes this dish work?
AA: It works because everything is centered around the uni. The pasta, the sauce, even the temperature—they all exist to highlight that one ingredient. There’s nothing extra on the plate. It’s focused, it’s balanced, and it respects the product. When guests take a bite and pause before saying anything, that’s usually the sign we got it right.
C+RC: What makes for a great chef’s table experience?
AA: A great chef’s table is about being part of the story, not just watching it unfold. It’s feeling the rhythm, smelling the aromas, and noticing the little details that make each dish come together. It’s personal—guests should feel like the menu was made for them that night. The best experiences mix hospitality with a little bit of theater: people get to see the craft, the creativity, and the care that goes into every plate. When they leave feeling connected to the food, the kitchen, and the team, that’s when the chef’s table really works.
Squid Ink Pasta alla Chitarra with Espelette, Osetra Caviar, Uni and Lobster Emulsion
