Sophistication and opulence—two concepts that can elevate a dining experience in unexpected ways. Whether it’s appealing to members’ great taste for literature-inspired eats, incorporating spirits into a multi-course tasting event or designing a dish for a brand-specific event, club and resort chefs are upping their game to create special meals that are luxurious, creative and one-of-a-kind.
Alejandro Abad, Executive Chef, The CC of New Canaan
Buon Appetito
Members at The Country Club of New Canaan can indulge their love of reading with good eats during their annual literary-themed luncheon. Last fall, the Connecticut club was reimagined as the setting of Jhumpa Lahiri’s Roman Stories. With over 300 guests in attendance, the culinary and events team, in partnership with the New Canaan library, created a special event that was quite literally one for the books.
“I do believe that all great stories had to have food,” says Executive Chef Alejandro Abad, who created a themed menu after consulting with the library’s events coordinator. Drawing on the book’s culinary references of peaches, plums, olives, lemons, tomatoes, and other fresh ingredients, he set out to create a menu that would capture the essence of the stories themselves.
To establish the perfect backdrop for the multi-course meal, the clubhouse was reimagined as a cosmopolitan Italian metropolis, with Ferraris and Vespas parked outside the front entrance to resemble a Rome street setting. Once inside, guests found themselves in a piazza outfitted with bubbling fountains, verdant olive trees, a bustling café and a thriving marketplace. “Every corner of every room was decorated with beautiful art, linens, flowers and fruit, fully embracing the spirit of Rome,” says Food and Beverage Manager Sydney Grillo.
The atmosphere commanded an equally authentic menu, enabling Abad to tap into his previous event experience at a Park City, Utah, resort. He opted to start the meal with rosemary focaccia, followed by insalata di campagna—a country-style salad that was “an easy avenue to connect the plums and apricots with sweet, macerated Roma tomatoes”—and pizza bianca featuring asiago, apples, and watercress.
For the entrée, Abad chose chicken brined with rosemary, thyme and black pepper, stuffed with eggplant, olives, sundried tomatoes and pecorino Romano, and wrapped with a 24-month prosciutto. Fresh fettuccini cacio e pepe, infused with a creamy, melted parmesan, made for a delightful side accompaniment.
chicken brined with rosemary, thyme and black pepper, stuffed with eggplant, olives, sundried tomatoes and pecorino Romano, and wrapped with a 24-month prosciutto
Because no proper Italian feast is complete without a sweet treat, Abad decided to craft something that would fit with the casual, yet sophisticated vibe.
“We didn’t want guests to miss the full culinary experience—and the best part,” he says. “I came up with an idea to exit the event with a memorable experience through CCNC’s very own Sweet Italian Market where members can eat dessert and mingle or grab a sweet bite on the go.”
Along with panettone, tiramisu and gelato, guests were sent home with a cannoli box from neighboring DiMare Pastry Shop.
The success of the Roman Stories luncheon was measured not only by the clink of glasses and silverware, but by the positive feedback.
“Members were impressed by the fluidity of literature, culture and the dining experience,” says events coordinator Grace Higgins. “From the décor, to the service, the cohesive execution—it made them feel as though they had stepped right into the story itself.”
Taste of Mexico
Infusing a spirit like tequila into a menu poses its own set of challenges. Creating a dish whose flavors can make a statement without being overpowered by the vintage is a careful balance. For Executive Chef Peter Phan of Friendly Hills Country Club in Whittier, Calif., it was an opportunity he was ready to embrace and maximize to its full potential.
Peter Phan, Executive Chef, Friendly Hills CC
A seasoned chef with 13 years at the helm of private clubs—the last nine of which have been at Friendly Hills—Phan harnessed his previous stints preparing spirits-influenced dinners to create a menu for a five-course Clase Azul Tequila dinner last fall.
“When preparing a multi-course dinner, I always prefer to start with a clean, raw dish,” he says. “For the rest of the meal, I wanted to use familiar, recognizable Mexican dishes, but in a different way.”
Each course incorporated a specific tequila from the brand, providing Phan with an open canvas on which to experiment.
The dinner began with Clase Azul Plata and featured hamachi crudo: Frog Hollow Farm warren pears, cucumbers, pickled red onion, cilantro and avocado lime salsa.
“With the Clase Azul Plata being unaged, I wanted to keep it fresh, simple and let the natural ingredients shine,” says Phan. He credits the avocados for offering a nice mouthfeel, while toning down the citrus acidity. The local pears component was a suggestion from his regular produce purveyor. “They were so superb that I knew I wanted to include it in this dish,” he adds.
The next course, tacos al pulpo, showcased Clase Azul Gold, a light-to-medium-bodied tequila. Made with chargrilled octopus, blue corn tortilla and stuffed squash blossoms, along with tangerine salsa, fingerling potatoes and black beans, this dish allowed Phan to do his own take on a fish taco. He also noted how the squash blossom added a nice texture to the dish.
tacos al pulpo, made with chargrilled octopus, blue corn tortilla and stuffed squash blossoms, along with tangerine salsa, fingerling potatoes and black beans
Up next was the Clase Azul Reposado; aged for eight months, this tequila is designed to withstand rich accompaniments. As a result, Phan chose a pork belly chile verde with steamed rice and avocado.
But it was the fourth dish, paired with Clase Azul Añejo, that was Phan’s personal favorite of the night, specifically for its taste, texture and color. He plated a sous vide wagyu rib eye with a white chocolate mole, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash and pomegranate.
“I wanted to showcase a special cut of steak; its bold flavor would complement the luxurious nature of the event,” Phan notes. Incorporating a medley of colorful vegetables let him highlight some seasonal flavors as well.
The grand finale, a mezcal-infused banana bread pudding enhanced with butterscotch and vanilla ice cream, offered guests a warm dessert that embraces autumn, Phan notes, as “the weather is quickly changing, and the nights are starting to get cold.”
While focusing on seasonality in his dishes, Phan took his menu to the next level by sourcing high-quality, geographically diverse components. This included hamachi from Japan and octopus from Spain, as well as more local offerings like pork belly and ribeye from Idaho.
Pairing the right foods with spirits, including tequila, means leaning into how they can complement the food—not compete with it.
“The complexities of the different aging of the tequila helps me understand what my goals are in each dish,” says Phan.
He also makes a point of engaging with distillers who know what works—and what doesn’t.
“There are a lot of talented people in this industry,” he says. “You have to cultivate a relationship with talented people to do talented things.”
Daniel Lewis, Sous Chef, Sycamore Hills GC
A Toast to Tortellini
When each member of a culinary team is given the job of creating their own dish for a special event, it’s an opportunity to showcase one’s talents. Such was the mission last fall for Sous Chef Daniel Lewis of Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Ind. The relative newcomer, who joined the kitchen in late 2023, was asked to prepare a dish to accompany Woodford Reserve rye bourbon and knew exactly how to approach this endeavor.
“When preparing dishes to pair with specific spirits, I always start with thorough research into the spirit’s history, production and flavor profile,” he says. “Understanding the spirit’s story helps me create dishes that not only complement, but also elevate its unique characteristics.”
To set the stage, Lewis first fashioned an edible centerpiece: a bourbon and brown butter “candle” that accented a beetroot and potato focaccia. He relied upon the creaminess of the brown butter to work with the sweetness of the root vegetables, without upstaging the bourbon’s caramel and smoky notes.
But it was Lewis’ main attraction—a bresaola tortellini—that let him flex his culinary muscles and even caught the attention of the Woodford representative. Investigating the rye bourbon’s flavor profile opened the door to new possibilities.
“I discovered that its rich, bold notes of pepper and tobacco pair exceptionally well with cured meats,” he reveals. “This inspired me to reimagine bresaola, a traditional cured meat, as the foundation for a pasta dish.” In lieu of pasta dough, Lewis opted for thin slices of meat to create the tortellini, offering an unconventional presentation.
Enlivening the pasta’s flavor was a walnut ricotta filling, which complemented the saltiness of the cured meat. “For texture, I incorporated crushed walnuts, which brought a pleasant crunch and echoed the bourbon’s earthy undertones,” says Lewis.
Using locally sourced bresaola speaks to Sycamore Hills’ farm-to-table philosophy, allowing the culinary team to work with premium product from the get-go.
“Guests can taste the difference,” says Lewis. “Highlighting regional products also fosters a deeper connection with the community and allows us to tell a story with every plate we serve.”
