Club + Resort Business and Club + Resort Chef publish the Top Ranked Culinary Experiences list annually. The list includes dozens of club and resort properties from across the United States, listed in order and as judged independently by a panel of chefs from several of the industry’s most well-respected properties.
“The Club + Resort team is thrilled to recognize more than 80 properties on our 2022 Top Ranked Culinary Experiences list,” says Joanna DeChellis, Editor of Club + Resort Chef. “Each club represented on this prestigious list has successfully stayed true to their mission over the past year. They have kept team performance and morale high and continued to strengthen what they offer members despite a more difficult environment with regards to supply and labor shortages.”
“This is not an easy list to compile,” she adds. “Many of the rankings came down to a .25 point differential.”
This year, Farmington Country Club (Charlottesville, Va.) was named to the coveted #1 Top Ranked Culinary Experience position.
Farmington CC earned this designation by providing a unique culinary experience to both members and the culinary team.
“We just finished building a state of the art $10.5 million kitchen facility, which includes the first dedicated allergy kitchen in the private club world that we use specifically and exclusively to cook for members with severe food allergies,” says Michael Matarazzo, Executive Chef of Farmington CC.
Three out of seven of Farmington CC’s chefs hold the Certified Executive Chef designation through the American Culinary Federation. Matarazzo was the USA’s 2010 Chef of the Year. Farmington’s Executive Sous Chef was the 2019 Southeast Chef of the Year. Farmington’s Executive Pastry Chef is a nationally recognized chef/chocolatier and has held positions in prestigious kitchens such as Michelin three-star Per Se. Farmington’s Pastry Sous Chef came from The French Laundry where he worked as Pastry Chef de Partie. Farmington’s Executive Chef and Executive Pastry Chef are also former Culinary Olympians and competed together internationally from 2006-2008.
“We take pride in educating our team members and providing a uniquely enjoyable environment for them to grow,” says Matarazzo. “We are always looking to push the bar for our members in everything we do.”
The 2022 rankings reflect the judges’ scoring of submitted entries that includes data on annual food-and-beverage revenue, membership size, weekly cover counts, banquet capacity, a la carte and banquet menus, food costs, certifications, front- and back-of-house photos and more. The judges score each entry independently, assigning points to the various aspects of the data and information submitted.
To view the 2022 Club + Resort Top Ranked Culinary Experiences list, click here.
2022 Top Ranked Culinary Experiences By The Numbers
Club + Resort Chef gathered specific data points as part of the Top Ranked Culinary Experience program to collectively measure the data behind industry culinary programs and help foster a baseline for a better understanding for clubs to improve and grow more valuable to members.
Top 10 States for Top Culinary Clubs
Membership Sizes of Top Culinary Clubs
Per-Member Spend of Top Culinary Clubs
A La Carte By the Numbers
Top Culinary Clubs with a Food & Beverage Minimum
Banquet By the Numbers
Top Culinary Clubs with a Sommelier on Staff
Staffing in Top Culinary Clubs
Average Food Cost in Top Culinary Clubs
For more information on the annual Top Ranked Culinary Experiences list, click here.
