Club + Resort Chef has officially released photos from PlateCraft 2025, a Chef to Chef Experience, capturing the atmosphere, key moments, and the essence of the event held at Cullasaja Club in Highlands, N.C., earlier this month.
Designed to foster connection, sharpen technique, and reignite creativity, PlateCraft is 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.
Scroll through photos from the event below, and click on individual photos to enlarge and save.
To open PlateCraft, Editorial Director Joanna DeChellis moderated a candid conversation with the five featured chef instructors. Following the panel, each of this year’s instructors presented the courses their teams would be working on the following day.
This year’s program was sponsored by RATIONAL USA and Meat & Livestock Australia’s Aussie Beef & Lamb. RATIONAL showcased how its advanced cooking systems help chefs deliver precision and consistency in the busiest kitchens. MLA stocked the event with premium proteins, including grassfed beef, grainfed beef, and lamb.
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.
Teams used the afternoon to finalize and prepare their course. 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.
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.
Click here to view full menu with wine pairings, and ensure you’re subscribed to C+RC’s e-newsletter for more information on future events.
Thank you again to sponsors RATIONAL USA and Aussie Beef & Lamb, the chef instructors, and all of this year’s attendees.
