Club + Resort Chef has announced the four club chef competitors participating in the 2023 Chef of the Year competition, which will take place during the 2023 Chef to Chef Conference in Miami. The lineup includes:
Sam Brod, CEC, Executive Chef, The Landings Golf & Athletic Club (Savannah, Ga.)
Kevin Silk, Executive Chef, Savannah (Ga.) Yacht Club“These candidates’ applications, recipes and photos stood out—as did their challenging career progressions,” says Scott Craig, CEC, CCA, WCMC, Executive Chef of Cullasaja Club in Highlands, N.C., and one of the Chef to Chef Conference Coordinators. “The new competition format will allow the chefs to show a greater depth of skill and should result in a very thoughtful, attractive product.”
Each competitor will have 60 minutes to prepare and plate two dishes: an entrée and a small plate. The chefs will have access to an extensive spread of ingredients, equipment and plateware. They will receive a detailed list of the available equipment and ingredients before the competition. There will also be a mystery basket ingredient they will be required to use as part of each dish.
“My style is very different compared to many club chefs,” says Daniel Montano, CEC, Executive Chef of The Berkshire Country Club (Reading, Pa.) and one of the competitors. “I plan to bring diversity to the food and flavors at this competition. I want to spotlight Hispanic flavors and cuisine in the country club industry.”
“I have a competitive nature, and I plan to put up plates that will ‘wow’ the judges with exceptional presentation, technique and flavor,” says Kevin Silk, Executive Chef of Savannah (Ga.) Yacht Club. “My experience working at a few top clubs has taught me many things about cooking and managing with high expectations and being proficient in stressful situations.”
Sam Brod, Executive Chef of The Landings Golf & Athletic Club (Savannah, Ga.), is equally competitive and eager to test himself in the competition: “While it has been many years since my last competition, I am prepared to put forth the best plates,” he says.
The final competitor, Geoffrey Lanez, MBA, CEC, Executive Chef of The Patterson Club (Fairfield, Conn.), will first offer a presentation earlier in the conference called, Let the Games Begin: Using Competition to Motivate Culinarians + Demo.
“I want to show my culinary staff that, regardless of whatever stage you are in your culinary career, you should constantly put yourself out there to learn and grow,” he says.
The competition will conclude with a group of judges determining the winner. Points will be awarded for taste, plating and originality. The chef named Club + Resort Chef of the Year will be awarded a $2,000 cash prize, a feature in the September issue of Club + Resort Chef, and a seat on C+RC’s Editorial Advisory Board.
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 include:
- 2022: Robert Meitzer, CEC, AAC, Forest Lake Country Club
- 2022: James Allen, CEC, Blackthorn Club at the Ridges
- 2020: Scott Craig, CEC, CCA, WCMC, Myers Park Country Club
- 2020: J. Kevin Walker, CMC, AAC Ansley Golf Club
- 2019: Eva Barrios, CEC, Austin Country Club
- 2019: 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
