This year’s PlateCraft—a Chef to Chef experience, hosted at Cullasaja Club in Highlands, N.C., brought together a group of club chefs from across the country to craft a chef’s table experience—by and for club chefs.
Designed to foster connection, sharpen technique, and reignite creativity, PlateCraft is not a typical conference. It’s a two-day immersive workshop for a small group of chefs who want to push their craft in a high-level, hands-on environment. Attendees cooked together, problem-solved together, and created a chef’s table-style meal together with guidance from some of the best instructors in the club space.
PlateCraft aims to enhance the educational landscape for executive club chefs and pastry chefs by offering a distinctive, exclusive, and immersive experience. The meticulously crafted agenda combines technical culinary education with highly interactive workshops, ensuring attendees can apply the skills they learn in a practical environment under expert guidance.
As Geoffrey Sowl, Executive Chef of Lakewood (Ohio) Country Club, shared, the highlight of the event was “being able to soak up all the information I could, without being pulled in 30 different directions. The Chef’s Table was a really cool experience to share with other chefs.”
Andrew Haapala, Executive Chef of The Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, echoed that sentiment. “PlateCraft was an amazing chance to collaborate, connect, and most importantly, play with food. Taking a moment to cook for yourself and your peers in such a beautiful setting recharged the spirit, just in time for the busy holiday season. Thank you all for the wonderful experience.”
Learn more about the sessions from this year’s event below, and ensure you’re subscribed to C+RC’s e-newsletter for additional photos, menus, and coverage from PlateCraft 2025, plus information on future events.
Setting the Table: Intentions, Insights, and What’s to Come
To open PlateCraft, Editorial Director Joanna DeChellis moderated a candid conversation with the five featured chef instructors. Together, they reflected on the purpose of the gathering, previewed the format and flow of the workshop, and shared what they each hoped to explore and accomplish over the next two days. This session set the tone for what PlateCraft is all about: collaboration, curiosity, and building something meaningful together.
Next-Gen Kitchen Efficiency
Presented by Platinum Sponsor RATIONAL
This session provided a closer look at RATIONAL’s cooking systems and how chefs are utilizing them to streamline preparation, enhance consistency, and achieve better outcomes with fewer staff members. Whether they are already using this equipment or considering a change, attendees left with a better understanding of what it can do and how to maximize the equipment’s potential.
The Art of the Vegetable
Presented by Daniel Montano, CECC, Executive Chef, Mizner Country Club
Daniel Montano walked attendees through the vegetable course he crafted for the PlateCraft chef’s table. He broke down each component, highlighting key techniques and sharing his approach to flavor, texture, and presentation in plant-forward dishes. This session offered a close look at how a focused, thoughtful vegetable course can elevate the entire dining experience.
Refining the Catch: A Modern Approach to Seafood
Presented by Adam Deviney, CEC, Director of Culinary and Hospitality, The Country Club of North Carolina
Adam Deviney takes a bold, modern approach to seafood, stripping it down to what matters most and rebuilding it with intention. In this session, he walked through the course he crafted for PlateCraft, sharing the techniques, sourcing philosophy, and plating decisions that drive his style. This is seafood treated with structure, skill, and a point of view.
Building Depth Through Pasta
Presented by Lance S. Cook, WCMC, CCCD, Director of Culinary Operations, Forsyth Country Club
Lance Cook walked attendees through his approach to pasta, breaking down the dough, the filling, the sauce, and the final assembly, explaining how each layer contributes to the structure and depth. This session focused on technique, balance, and how pasta can carry both flavor and feeling when done right.
Precision and Play in Pastry
Presented by Andy Chlebana, CMPC, Pastry Chef Instructor, Joliet Junior College
Andy Chlebana walked through the dessert course he developed for PlateCraft, breaking down each element from concept to composition. He shared the techniques behind the textures, the thinking behind the flavors, and how he balances precision with creativity. This session explored how pastry can close a meal with both discipline and surprise.
Breaking Down the Center of the Plate
Presented by Scott Craig, WCMC, CCCD, Executive Chef, Cullasaja Club
In his education session, Scott Craig walked through the concepts behind the dish he brought to PlateCraft. From component selection to technique, he explained how each element contributes to the plate and how the lessons behind it can translate. This session offered a deep dive into his process and set the foundation for the hands-on work that would follow.
From Concept to Collaboration
After the education sessions, each instructor gathered with their team for an open roundtable discussion. This is where ideas started to shift from individual vision to group execution. Chefs talked through techniques, asked questions, shared goals, and began shaping how they wanted to evolve the original dish. It served as an opportunity to align on direction, delve deeper into the details, and lay the groundwork.
Cullasaja Club Kitchen and Clubhouse Tour
Attendees then took an exclusive tour of Cullasaja Club’s state-of-the-art kitchen and refined clubhouse, as well as the natural beauty that surrounds it. This guided experience offered a behind-the-scenes look at daily operations and highlighted the club’s commitment to exceptional member service.
A Taste of Highlands Country Club
This relaxed welcome dinner featured a carefully curated menu of member favorites from Highlands Country Club Executive Chef Angel Herrera, his team, and several other regional club chefs, including Nick Davis, Executive Chef of Hound Ears Club, and Joey Mansueto, Executive Chef of Catawba Country Club. Dishes included Highlands CC’s signature fried chicken, succotash with local goat cheese, grilled swordfish with leek chowder purée, buñelos with dulce de leche, and more.
Tuesday, November 4
Exploring the Craft of Grass-Fed
Presented by Aussie Beef and Lamb
This sponsor session introduced chefs to the unique qualities of Australian beef and lamb. Raised on open pasture and finished on grass, these products offer distinct flavor profiles, consistent quality, and a strong commitment to sustainability. Chefs had the opportunity to sample the product and gained insight into sourcing, handling, and cooking with these proteins, which they worked with firsthand during the PlateCraft workshops.
Hands-On Mastery Workshops
This is where PlateCraft hit full stride. In the first half of the day, chef teams began translating ideas into action. Working alongside their instructor, they dove into mise en place, tested components, refined techniques, and made collaborative decisions about the dish’s final form. This session focused on precision and experimentation, with open discussion around what works, what does not, and how to push each element further.
With direction established and feedback in play, teams used the afternoon to finalize and prepare their course for handoff to the instructors and the Cullasaja Club culinary team. This session was about dialing in the details, ensuring consistency, adjusting builds, and locking in timing. Chefs continued learning from one another as they problem-solved and adapted under real-time constraints. It was an intensive finish that set the tone for the dinner service and the collaborative impact of the PlateCraft experience.
The Chef’s Table: A Collaborative Dinner Experience
The final evening brought everything together. After two days of collaboration and hands-on work, each course was executed by the instructors, Cullasaja Club’s culinary team, and several visiting club chefs, culminating in a complete Chef’s Table experience.
Attendees had the opportunity to step out of the kitchen and take a seat at the table to experience the meal as members, tasting the results of their work, collaboration, and shared commitment to craft. It served as a celebration of process, precision, and the kind of connection that happens when chefs build something together.
“This was my first PlateCraft experience, and it will definitely not be the last,” said Richard Nielsen, Director of Culinary Operations at Audubon Country Club (Louisville, Ky.). “The amount of exposure to new ideas, cooking and plating techniques was overwhelming. The chefs chosen to lead the teams were amazing, and the knowledge shared was world-class. I am so grateful for having this experience.”
