At the 2026 Chef to Chef Conference at The Broadmoor, Jacob Picking, CEC, Executive Chef of Blue Hills Country Club in Kansas City, Mo., was named Club + Resort Chef of the Year. The winning entree was a honey-glazed duck duo: roasted breast, duck meatball, potato purée, Swiss chard and bacon, duck jus, and pickled cherry.
Picking worked alongside apprentice Bryan Roque, Executive Sous Chef of Paradise Valley Country Club (Paradise Valley, Ariz.). Picking received $4,000, plus the prestigious title, and a feature in Club + Resort Chef (linked here).
The runner-up was Chris Smith, Executive Chef of Rolling Rock Club (Ligonier, Pa.), alongside apprentice Maggie Phillips, Executive Sous Chef of Hickory Hills Country Club (Springfield, Mo.) and 2026 40 Under 40 honoree. Other competitors included Michael Lamping, CEC, Executive Chef of Dallas Athletic Club (Dallas, Texas); and Stephen Valenti, Executive Chef of Bloomfield Hills Country Club (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.).
Watch the full competition unfold now, and save the date for the 2027 Chef to Chef Conference, February 28–March 2, 2027, at JW Marriott Tucson Starr Pass Resort & Spa. If you may be interested in competing for the 2027 Club + Resort Chef of the Year title, email Editorial Director Joanna DeChellis at [email protected].
