Greg Devino, the newly appointed General Manager and COO of Broken Sound Club (Boca Raton, Fla.), is reaching out to his global network to recruit talent for Broken Sound as it enters a new era amid a multi-million-dollar renovation.
New hires from within the club industry include a Chief Financial Officer, a Director of Marketing and a Director of Food & Beverage, plus internal promotions. Hires from outside the industry include two Pastry Chefs, a Director of Bars, and the new Director of Culinary Operations, Bogdan Danila.
Greg Devino, General Manager and COO of Broken Sound Club
Despite his newness to the club industry, Danila’s no rookie. He has more than 18 years of experience managing and directing culinary operations, including Michelin-starred kitchens in Europe and the U.S. He and Devino worked together for several years at The Clocktower, a Michelin-starred restaurant in The New York EDITION hotel.
At Broken Sound, which does $8 million in annual F&B revenue, Danila will oversee all culinary.
“We can’t wait for [talent] to come to us,” says Devino (pictured right). “We must look for them.”
Club + Resort Chef (C+RC): Why is Danila, a restaurant chef, the right fit as culinary director?
Greg Devino (GD): Historically, members have been happy with the food here but weren’t blown away by it. When we spoke with them about dining preferences, they would reference restaurants outside the club. So I thought: If they’re leaving the club to go to restaurants, why can’t we bring a restaurant-style environment to the club?
Bogdan Danila, Broken Sound Club’s Director of Culinary Operations
Our culinary team here at Broken Sound is stronger now than ever. But when we decided to add two new restaurants, we wanted a leader with a fresh perspective and experience. So we brought on [Danila], an incredibly talented chef I had the pleasure of working with years ago.
C+RC: How will your experience working together help you better navigate the challenges ahead?
GD: I’ve seen his passion, attention to detail and ability to multi-task firsthand. His opening playbook is highly detailed and will guide us through the reopening. His ability to build and manage multiple kitchens is precisely what we need at this stage of our evolution. He has a vast network of aspiring culinarians that he’s tapping into to help us further overcome labor challenges.
C+RC: What do you expect will be Danila’s biggest challenge transitioning to the club world?
GD: After working in a Michelin-starred environment, it’s pretty humbling to have a burger get sent back. But it happens—that’s just the demographic. Club members know what they want.
Training him on how clubs operate, what menus look like, and how members view club food and food costs will take time. He’s done a great job so far, engaging with members and learning about our culture.
C+RC: Tell us more about the new restaurants.
GD: Zest (pictured at the top) will be our shareable, small-plates restaurant with sushi and tapas. It’s eclectic, and the menu will rotate. Zest can also be used as a pre-function space and reception area for our new ballroom, which holds up to 600 people.
Next to Zest is our Cirque Bar and Grill, led by Executive Chef John Muriel, which will be open for lunch and dinner. It’s more of a casual, after-golf experience but will offer an elevated menu and transformed dining room at night.
crispy skin poached chicken gnocchi of chestnuts, garden herbs, grilled goat’s cheese
The Old Course Clubhouse, our traditional dining space, is under the leadership of Executive Chef William Quick, who crafts elevated menus for our membership. He will not alter the menu much, but it will transition into a steakhouse on Saturdays. We’ll have table-side and cocktail carts run by our new Director of Bars, Kord Laughlin.
We’re also relaunching our Moonstone Cafe, next to our gym, and refreshing our Bistro at our pool. We have a food truck that we’re re-wrapping with a new look that will offer rotating concepts, too. Finally, we’re transforming our soft-serve yogurt shop into a kids’ grab-and-go.
When we reopen the clubhouse this November, all of these concepts will be fresh—and managed by our talented new chef.
