To fully appreciate Scott Craig’s impact on club culinary, one must first understand what motivates him every time he ties his apron on and sharpens his knives.
When Craig approaches a dish, his focus lies on the synergy between each element. A garnish is never superfluous. A sauce is never composed carelessly.
Proteins are cooked to exacting standards. Quality and creativity are never questioned. He scrutinizes every element both for its individual merit and its role in the final presentation.
For Craig, the craft of cooking is a series of calculated steps culminating in a fleeting artistic expression. Unlike a painting, a story, or a song, though, his art is transient—each dish existing only for the moment before it’s gone forever.
Craig’s influence on the culinary side of the club industry stands in stark contrast to his dishes. It’s enduring and cumulative. His career has taken him through some of the nation’s most prestigious club kitchens. He spent years devoted to refining his craft under the guidance of formidable mentors. He earned numerous certifications through the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (Worldchefs) and the American Culinary Federation (ACF). He has competed on a global stage at the most elite levels and come home victorious.
He is bold in confronting injustice and resilient in navigating crises. His leadership style is unique, and his ability to cultivate a team is second to none. His impact can be seen in the success of the many chefs who have prospered under his mentorship and taken the helm of their own kitchens.
It’s not any one of those things but the sum of all these things that define him. While his individual dishes may not last more than a few moments, his contributions to the industry will last long after his final service.
Switchbacks
Craig’s career is a story of continuous advancement, albeit along a nonlinear path.
“I was the first person in my family to go to college,” says Craig. “I majored in psychology and minored in religion; I was cooking to pay the bills. The creativity and camaraderie of the kitchen drew me in. The discipline was beneficial, too. I found a home in the kitchen—and I didn’t look back.”
During his college years, Craig became involved with the student chapter of the ACF, sparking his interest in competition. His first competition took him to Washington, D.C., in his ‘93 Mustang. It was there he met Hartmut Handke, CMC, during a cigarette break. “I didn’t know who [Handke] was at that point, just that he was a judge and that he was someone to be respected,” Craig recalls.
Handke asked to borrow a lighter, and in exchange for the light, he offered Craig some career-defining advice: Apprentice with a skilled chef before life’s commitments prevent you from being able to.
Taking this to heart, Craig, who was single and unattached, approached John Bell, the competition’s winner and Executive Chef of Baltimore Country Club (BCC), seeking employment. “It could have been anybody, anywhere, in any industry, but [Bell] won first place, so I decided to follow him,” says Craig.
This decision kicked off the beginning of Craig’s club culinary career. While at BCC, he advanced through every station, ultimately becoming Restaurant Chef of the Taproom. During this time, he also met colleagues who would become lifelong friends, including Andrew Haapala, Executive Chef of the Country Club of Virginia.
Scott Craig (left) and Andrew Haapala (right) at Chevy Chase Club.
“[Craig] was intense,” says Haapala of their first time meeting at BCC. “But he took me under his wing … I wouldn’t have made nearly as many connections or friends in this industry without him. He is insanely caring—he cares more about his team than any chef I’ve ever met.”
During a 2003 competition, Craig encountered Joachim Buchner, CMC, one of the judges, a member of the Culinary Olympic Team and the Executive Chef of Chevy Chase (Md.) Club.
Craig made an impression, and a few months later, Buchner offered him a job.
Craig spent three years at Chevy Chase, deepening his knowledge and competitive edge, before reuniting with John Bell at Myers Park Country Club (MPCC) in Charlotte, stepping into a sous chef role and later advancing to executive chef. Haapala followed Craig to MPCC where he stayed for five more years.
“[Craig] has taken the best lessons from all the chefs he’s worked with to create his own leadership style,” says Haapala. “It’s not flashy or loud, but it’s powerful.”
Craig’s path took him back to Chevy Chase as Executive Chef when Buchner moved on, but he was eventually drawn back to MPCC by Mark Bado, MCM, CCE, who would quickly become another one of the most significant figures in Craig’s professional life. “We hit it off. Our personalities meshed, and I had the pleasure of returning to MPCC to work with [Bado] for another four years,” says Craig.
The two turned MPCC into a well-oiled machine. They were adept at navigating the complexities of the pandemic and came out stronger on the other side. In April 2021, Bado moved on from MPCC to take a position at Houston Country Club. This change triggered Craig to reevaluate his priorities.
“COVID was a wake-up call to everything I’d given up for decades—nights, weekends, holidays, relationships,” says Craig. “I was sitting with my wife, Leah, on the porch one night during COVID, and I commented on how many people were out walking. She smiled and said, ‘They do that every day. You’re just not here to see it.’”
This realization spurred him to look for something different than anything he’d done before. He had heard about a highly seasonal club in the mountains—Cullasaja Club—run by a well-respected General Manager by the name of Chris Conner, CCM, CCE. They were looking for a chef to replace the person who’d held the title for 27 years.
“I met with [Conner],” Craig says, “and everything fell into place.”
Cool-uh-SAY-juh Club
Today, Craig is the Executive Chef of Cullasaja Club (Highlands, N.C.), which has 337 members. Last season, they served 28,000 meals, generating $1.2 million in F&B with virtually no banquet business. The club operates seasonally, from May 1 through Oct. 31. Craig leads a culinary team of 19, including Executive Sous Chef Mario Trujillo, who has been with him since MPCC.
Scott Craig (left) and Mario Trujillo (right) at Cullasaja Club.
“When [Craig] came to MPCC, I wasn’t sure if I would stay to work for him,” says Trujillo. “But one of my mentors advised me to give it a chance, and that turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Trujillo quickly found that Craig’s drive, passion and motivation resonated with him. When Craig decided to move on from MPCC three years later to take the position at Cullasaja, Trujillo followed him.
Together, the two have tackled the challenge of adapting to a new operational environment, working with seasonal staff, and elevating a much smaller but very busy culinary program. Their goal is to exceed the expectations of the club’s diverse membership.
“I give [Craig] a lot of credit for spending a full season with our former chef, learning from her and observing,” says Conner. “His biggest impact can be felt in the kitchen culture, the plates he’s putting up, and the advanced culinary techniques.”
Conner appreciates Craig’s ability to bridge the generational gap among members, particularly younger members who’ve recently moved to the area. “He balances the needs and desires of all our members exceptionally well,” says Conner.
“Chef is always adjusting and pivoting as needed,” says Trujillo. “He excels at putting people in roles where they can grow. I’m fortunate to be in a place where my professional goals align with his. He genuinely wants the best for me. And he strives to position me where I can succeed, learn and gain experiences.”
Scott Craig and his daughter, Emma, at Chevy Chase Club.
Craig’s leadership is rooted in building a strong, familial team dynamic. He sees his role as much more than just a chef; he is a mentor and a guide, fostering a supportive environment where his team can thrive. “I’ve been told I build a family wherever I go, caring about our folks to a fault,” he says. “I see the best in people, reflecting back to them their potential.”
This nurturing approach has allowed him to recognize when team members are ready to step beyond following recipes to creating their own. “It’s like drawing. First, we trace, then we copy, and then we create,” he says. His ability to identify when someone is ready to ‘create’ has propelled many under his guidance to advance, even if it means moving on from his kitchen.
Daniel Montano, CEC, Executive Chef of Mizner Country Club (Delray Beach, Fla.), is one such example. Having worked together at MPCC for nearly four years, Montano graduated from Craig’s mentorship and moved on to run the operation at Berkshire Country Club in 2021. He says Craig taught him the importance of treating everyone with respect, no matter the situation. This profoundly influenced not only Montano’s career but also how he views leadership.
“His mentorship helped me grow from a burnt-out chef to someone who could take on greater responsibilities with confidence,” says Montano.
The sense of family Craig fosters extends beyond professional development. Six couples from his teams have married, highlighting the strong bonds in his kitchens. He even officiated the wedding of one couple—Josh and Stephanie Kim—further blurring the lines between leader, mentor, and friend.
Competition as Foundation
Craig exemplifies leadership through communication and innovation despite his “painful introversion.” “Being introverted makes constant communication exhausting, but I’ve learned to navigate it,” he admits. Raised as an only child for the first nine years of his life, his creativity, born from necessity, now fuels his culinary philosophy.
Scott Craig meticulously arranges a gold medal-winning platter at the 2012 Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, showcasing his skill and attention to detail.
“The creative process is something I deeply enjoy,” he says. “From conceptualizing a dish to its execution, the journey is as sensory as it is temporary.”
Craig’s approach to cuisine is both art and science. It engages all senses in a way few other arts can claim. “There’s not an art in existence that encompasses as many senses as ours,” says Craig. “A dish exists for minutes, then it’s gone forever. That transient nature makes it even more beautiful.”
This same appreciation for the craft of culinary fuels Craig’s passion for competitions, which have played a critical role in shaping his career and honing his skills.
With no formal culinary education, competitions provided a unique arena to measure his talents against peers and receive feedback from respected chefs.
“Every competition, whether I won bronze or gold, was a lesson,” he says, viewing them as crucial educational experiences that accelerated his growth. “Being on Team USA 2020 was equivalent to gaining ten years of industry experience,” he adds.
Competitions also facilitated a unique form of creative expression, allowing Craig to experiment with dishes and techniques that might not find a place on a typical club menu.
Mentee to Mentor
Craig embraces his role as a mentor with humility, viewing himself as a perpetual student. He is driven by a commitment to pushing the next generation of chefs to expect more from their careers, advocating for a balance between life and work that he once thought unattainable.
“I don’t think having a life and excelling at your craft should be mutually exclusive,” says Craig. “The most important thing to me is to create a kitchen where people like to come into work.”
At Cullasaja, Craig prioritizes hiring for attitude and passion, believing that while culinary skills can be taught, the right attitude is crucial for team harmony.
“The best parts of my day are when I hear people laughing in the kitchen,” he says, adding that the laughter is the best indicator of a healthy work environment. It reassures him that his team feels safe, relaxed, and valued, which is crucial for their personal and professional growth.
Craig offers this advice to younger chefs who are finding their way in this industry: “There is a perfect job for you. You don’t know what it is yet; it may not have been created yet. Your job in the interim is to make sure there’s no competition for it once you put your application in. … The investment you make in yourself today pays dividends tomorrow.”
And, he adds, chefs can achieve this while treating their teams and the people in their lives with respect.
“It’s incumbent on the next generation to continue to demand that we respect their time and their desire for work-life balance,” he says. “I hope we can collectively leave this industry better than we found it.”
