Sam Brod

Meet the Class of 2025: Sam Brod

Sam Brod leads one of the largest club culinary programs in the country, managing a $25.5 million operation and a team of 150 at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club. As the 2023 Club & Resort Chef of the Year, he’s built a reputation for precision, consistency, and smart leadership. He does more than run kitchens. He develops talent, launching an apprenticeship program to shape the next generation of chefs. His ability to scale quality and innovation makes him a force in the industry.

Club + Resort Chef (C+RC): How do you feel about being recognized as one of C+RC's 40 Under 40 honorees, and what significance does this achievement hold for you?

Sam Brod (SB): Being recognized is an honor. I believe some members of my team deserve it just as much—if not more than me. I truly appreciate the recognition, though, and I’m grateful for the nomination. It's an honor to be named amongst my peers and colleagues.

C+RC: What advice would you offer young chefs aiming to excel in the club and resort culinary industry?

SB:

1. Be on time.
2. Be coachable.
3. Care about your growth and the growth of those around you.
4. Take care of your uniform daily.
5. Taste everything.
6. Work for multiple chefs and establishments early in your career.
7. Understand this is a craft. Craftsmen are never born—they are molded.
8. Make mistakes, try not to repeat them.
9. Respect those who came before you.
10. Take care of your tools, especially your knives.

C+RC: Can you share a personal challenge you've faced in your career and explain how it has shaped you as a chef?

SB: Balancing being a great chef and being the dad I always wanted to be has been my biggest challenge. I knew early on that this industry would make that balance difficult, but I’ve always wanted to be a present and engaged father—not just a provider.

I’m overcoming this challenge through the grace of God and the unwavering support of my wife, Kristi. She is the glue that holds our family together, managing both her career and motherhood with a work ethic that inspires me daily. Without her, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do, both at home and in the kitchen. I’m lucky to have found the best partner a chef could ask for—I guess I’m just really lucky.

C+RC: What are your future goals and your plan to achieve them?

SB: Goal 1: Take (and hopefully pass) the CMC exam.
Study, practice, repeat, practice, repeat, evaluate, execute.

Goal 2: Coach or assist with my daughters' sports teams.
Still figuring that part out.

Goal 3: Successfully oversee a large portion of the foodservice for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, Italy—and bring my family along. Learn Italian. Lose 30 pounds. Build my team so I can take a short sabbatical from the club.

C+RC: What inspired your career in the club and resort sector?

SB: It’s more of a who than a what.

While in school, I staged and interned at hotels and restaurants with plans to move to Italy to learn the language. But when life circumstances kept me stateside, I decided to work for the best chefs I could find outside of Pennsylvania. A mentor from Hershey suggested several names, but one stood out—Chef Kevin Walker (see photo, right).

After a few visits to Atlanta, I packed my car and made the move. Chef Walker and his team quickly shattered my misconceptions about club dining. I had assumed it was all meat and potatoes, but I soon realized it was more demanding and detail-oriented than my previous experiences in hotels and restaurants. My perspective shifted from “country club chefs are burnouts” to “this is a serious opportunity for professional growth.”

Years later, when Chef Walker moved to California, he asked me to go with him. I was shocked—I never expected to be the one he’d ask. And, honestly, I was terrified. But by then, I was dating my wife, and she told me if I went, she’d come with me. With her support, I took the leap, and the rest is history.

So, what inspired my career in the club sector? Not a what—a who.