It is truly hard to put into words how COVID-19 has changed our lives. In fact, it has been so life-altering, it is almost hard to imagine how our lives were before the pandemic. The past several months have been nothing less than transformative, especially for businesses. As we are all still learning how to adapt to this “new normal,” I would like to share our journey of working through the pandemic at Vanderbilt Country Club (Naples, Fla.). Surprisingly, while on this journey I found inspiration from something that I took for granted for nearly 25 years of cooking professionally: plating.
The pandemic hit during the height of our busy season here in Naples and to make matters worse, right before one of our biggest events of the year, St. Patrick’s Day.
Our management team, led by General Manager Tim Miller, brainstormed ways to balance safety and service. We had nearly 500 reservations for our St. Patrick’s Day event at the time of cancellation, but we were determined to still give members and guests a sense of normalcy. We decided to create a modified take-out menu that featured many of our traditional St. Patrick’s Day favorites, including corned beef and cabbage, potatoes and a Bailey’s bread pudding, were some of the offerings that members could then enjoy from the safety of their home. Due to its success, this type modified event fast became the new model for all large events in the subsequent weeks.
Most of our membership did not feel comfortable leaving the gates of Vanderbilt, so we offered lunch, dinner and common household products like milk and eggs for pick-up six days a week through the end of April. By the time Mother’s Day came, we were more familiar with this new normal and things were operating even more efficiently.
After nearly nine weeks of the take-out business, the moment came we were all waiting for. We could open in our dining room at 50% capacity.
We all had our work to do, but I found myself having an even greater sense of appreciation for the front of the house team, led by Clubhouse Manager Christina Kiely. The front of house staff would face the biggest obstacles: balancing safety will still providing seamless service in a timely manner.
To be honest, we were all a little nervous wondering if we could so easily transition back to traditional dining services.
On opening night, the first set of orders came in and went out. Then more came in and more went out. It was hard to believe that we were actually putting food on plates instead of in boxes. I decided at that moment that outside expo must wait, and I was going to have to plate some of these entrees myself.
As I plated my first three dishes, I was taken back, and my eyes began to water. I called my team over and we stared at these simple, but beautiful plates. Not because this was the fanciest dish I’ve ever made, but because it was good, traditional food that we had been putting in to-go containers for weeks, getting the respect it deserved and was put on a plate.
That moment brought a feeling of nostalgia, and reinforced my hope that someday this pandemic would end. Yes, putting food on a plate did that for. I have taken thousands upon thousands of plates into my hands during my career, but these were three of the most important.
