Kevin Rice, CCM, General Manager and COO of Lexington (Ky.) Country Club, was a chef for more than 30 years before he made the transition into club management.
“I ran high-end restaurant companies, usually around Louisville, Ky., the majority of my career,” he says. After coming to Lexington CC earlier this year, he’s working to support Executive Chef Chloe Dykes and her culinary team in any way he can as they meet and exceed the needs of a growing membership.
“I’m very much enjoying my new position here,” says Rice. “I am grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given to work with Chef [Dykes] and this fabulous group of people.”
Club + Resort Chef (C+RC): What spurred your transition from chef to GM?
Kevin Rice (KR): I studied accounting before I became a chef. I enjoy numbers along with the creative side. When I entered the club business, I was working as a club chef. But as I got older, frankly, my hands, like many people who’ve spent 30 years in the kitchen, are not quite the same anymore.
I wanted to make room for other people. I was at the last club for 10-and-a-half years, so that allowed a natural progression for the team as I moved on to my clubhouse manager role.
I really enjoy the entire hospitality industry. I was looking to use the other skills that I have, the tools in my toolbox.
C+RC: What attracted you to Lexington CC in particular?
KR: Its rich history. It was founded in 1901. The club is also very healthy; financially, it’s very sound. And Chef [Chloe Dykes] is here.
One of the most important things for me was that the staff at the club was very strong and very competent, so that I could be a resource, but not have to involve myself in the daily operations. I didn’t want someone to hire me as a GM who was expecting me to run the kitchen. With Chef [Dykes] here, with how talented she is, with the engagement she has with the staff, that was a huge selling point for me.
And it made the transition much easier. It allows me to actually focus on the job that the membership and the Board of Directors hired me to do—concentrate on the overall health of the organization.
Chef and I get along splendidly; we’re like two peas in a pod. She’s so talented that I don’t need to give her feedback. Instead, she comes to me to bounce ideas or ask questions. I never have to sit her down to try and elevate her performance because she’s already exceptional. I simply get to enjoy her cooking.
C+RC: What do you think makes her stand out as a club chef?
KR: When I started in the chef business, back in the day, chefs really didn’t want to work in country clubs. But in the past 20 years, it has become such an important element of of a well-rounded club, to have a really strong food and beverage program.
With [Dykes], what impresses me is that even though we cook slightly differently, she’s one of the first chefs I know, besides myself, who, for Mother’s Day or Easter, makes her biscuits by hand, from scratch. That attention to detail—these are things she was already doing before I was here. She does fabulous nine-course meals, [but] it’s not just those large meals; she also understands the importance of the smaller things that I think many chefs miss. Yes, you need to be able to produce a great steak, and you need to be able to perfectly sear a piece of tuna, but the club sandwich also needs to be the best club sandwich. Your hamburger needs to be the best hamburger in the city, the chicken wings need to be the best chicken wings. What I enjoy so much about [Dykes] is that she sees the importance of the quality of the kids’ food along with the quality of the food she’s going to post on her Instagram or her LinkedIn account.
C+RC: Do you remember your first impression of her and of Lexington CC’s culinary program?
KR: When I walked in and met her, when I was able to walk through the kitchen and into the walk-in, everything was in its place, everything was labeled, everything looked exactly the way I would have expected my own walk-in to look. She understands that all of those things are very important; it all feeds into [our ability to] deliver the highest possible culinary experience for the members.
C+RC: Describe the dynamic between you and Chef. Do you relate in a culinary sense or in personality?
KR: [We’re similar] only in a culinary sense; personality-wise, we are very different people. Most importantly, as far as the culinary product, we see through that same set of eyes as to how high those expectations should be and how you get buy-in from the culinary team so you’re delivering that on a very consistent basis for the members.
C+RC: Are there any big plans for the remainder of this year, or any changes you hope to implement?
KR: I feel so comfortable with the culinary team here that I have zero plans on changing anything. I am here to support the culinary team and what they do. The majority of what I’m doing now is about catching up on deferred maintenance, [such as] enhancing the appearance of the patio.
For instance, in the back, we have a casual seating area in front of our fire pit, and we replaced all of that furniture, we added large plants, we adding string lights. Most of what I’m doing now, as far as adding to the dining experience, has to do with the aesthetics of the dining areas, especially outside on the patio. My goal is to improve the look and feel of the dining spaces so that when the food is served, those spaces match the level of food that is coming out of the kitchen.
C+RC: Is there anything Chef Dykes is hoping to change this year, or anything she’s asked for your support with?
KR: The equipment used for banquets and specialty buffets needs to be upgraded. No one except her could see it. But I saw it as soon as I walked in. The equipment is outdated and doesn’t showcase her food in the way it deserves. So we’ve started the process of upgrading those presentation pieces significantly.
C+RC: It must be nice for Chef Dykes and the culinary team to have someone with food and beverage experience to advocate for them.
KR: Yes, and people listen to me because of my background, which is helpful. [Lexington CC] brought me in to get these types of projects done.
The types of places I came from, everything needed to be just so. It’s shocking how, once you get everything to be at that higher level, your glass of wine tastes better, your fish tastes better. Years of listening to designers has really helped me.
That’s one thing I’ve heard from Chef—she’s appreciative of the fact that I fight for [the culinary team] the way I do. [Granted], I don’t have to fight hard because the membership adores her; they don’t want her to go anywhere.
