The Country Club of Spartanburg Pastry Chef Elizabeth Riddle
It’s been touted as the most important meal of the day, so it’s no wonder breakfast has earned a prominent place at the table. From the buffet to the golf turn, breads and morning pastries are not only serving up sustenance; they are reinforcing pastry chefs’ commitment to quality and attention to detail across platforms.
Speaking Their Language
At the Country Club of Spartanburg (S.C.), members have a sweet tooth, and Pastry Chef Elizabeth Riddle knows it. Her past 14 years at the club have allowed her to hone in on their preferences and tweak her pastry menu accordingly.
Riddle recently made a batch of cherry and cheese Danishes, as well as lemon blueberry cheese Danishes, to add more variety to member functions.
“I typically make house-made puff pastry and fillings for Danishes at the request of membership or for larger events, but I would like to offer them regularly for smaller events and parties or meetings as well,” she says.
Fried apple fritters, another recent menu addition, are a popular southern breakfast item and member favorite. “Think fried apple cinnamon doughnuts, covered in vanilla glaze,” she describes.
Balancing classic pastries with additional flavor pairings lets Riddle introduce members to alternative options, while broadening their palates.
When crafting pairings for the club’s different venues, Riddle focuses on certain factors that determine where each product works best. At the golf turn, it’s all about convenience: “Members want something grab and go, like my breakfast biscuits,” she says.
Breakfast buffets, on the other hand, provide the opportunity to linger longer and possibly return for seconds. This is where she offers smaller, individual pastries in a variety of options and larger quantities. Sunday buffets usually include a pastry table that features up to eight different desserts, including mini cheesecakes. A flambé station served with crêpes and ice cream also adds to the setup.
Click the photo for the full recipe for The Country Club of Spartanburg Pastry Chef Elizabeth Riddle’s Meyer lemon blueberry pop tarts.
This summer, Riddle will debut a breakfast pastry with a flavorful and colorful profile: Meyer lemon blueberry pop tarts (see photo, above). These fruit-filled delicacies will be baked in house, filled with fresh blueberries, drizzled with icing and topped with rainbow sprinkles. “This pastry is light enough for breakfast and sweet enough for dessert,” she says, noting its appeal for adults and kids alike.
The Element of Surprise
Because basic breakfast pastries can often become repetitive, and traditional recipes may become outdated, it’s essential for pastry chefs to keep ideas (and product) fresh. Executive Pastry Chef Peggy Stout, who has been at the helm of The Country Club at Mirasol’s (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) pastry program for the past three years, is a firm believer in innovation on her menu.
“We always try to be very thoughtful and clever with regards to themes of events, making one-off items,” she says. “We love to see the members surprised by something they haven’t seen before.”
Last Christmas, Stout made Christmas tree-shaped spinach-cheese croissants. Bee sting croissants using honey harvested on the property is another recent favorite.
Zeroing in on her respective audiences also enables Stout to tailor something that speaks directly to their appetites. Men’s events tend to encompass more savory items, as evidenced by a recent outing that featured bacon cheddar corn muffins and spring onion scones. Offering a lighter fare, a ladies’ tournament with a “Wicked” theme included star-shaped strawberry scones (in the likeness of Glinda’s magical wand), along with gluten-free blueberry lemon muffins. “The ladies’ events typically lean more into the gluten/sugar/dairy-free area,” she notes.
The Country Club at Mirasol Executive Pastry Chef Peggy Stout is known for her elevated and unexpected treats. Click the photo for the full recipe for her Maple-Bacon Crullers.
When kid-friendly breakfast buffets are on the calendar, Stout likes to kick things up a notch, especially during the holidays or other special occasions.
“We really go all out and over the top by taking familiar items and giving them some holiday magic,” she says.
Younger members recently subsisted on hot cocoa cinnamon rolls, studded with crunchy mini marshmallows. And for a ‘Breakfast in the Wild’ themed outing, mini donuts on a stick, dipped in chocolate with a zebra print transfer, added a playful element to a tasty treat.
Speaking of donuts, Stout is looking forward to elevating these pastries in the summer with a seasonal delight: open-faced strawberry shortcake donut made with strawberry jam, fresh strawberries and whipped white chocolate ganache. “[It will] combine a summer classic flavor and a member-favorite breakfast,” she notes.
Dunegrass Golf Club Executive Chef Drew Kinney
A (Donut) Hole in One
It only seems fitting that golfers on the green would gravitate toward donut holes as a beloved breakfast pastry. At Dunegrass Golf Club in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Executive Chef Drew Kinney whips up batches of these bite-sized treats for breakfasts and buffets alike. “Donut holes offer versatility and creativity,” he says. “We can adapt them in countless ways to suit the occasion.”
Adjusting his recipes to better appeal to his clientele is something to which Kinney has become accustomed, even before joining Dunegrass two years ago. After perfecting his pastry craft with a cornbread recipe that has traveled with him from Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine, he decided to personalize the sweet bread with an East Coast flavor.
“I wanted to incorporate a local element, so I began serving it with house-made maple butter—a nod to the region’s maple tradition,” he explains. “The pairing is both comforting and delicious, elevating a simple dish into something memorable.”
Today, Kinney follows a similar approach to his breakfast pastry roster, blending classics with creative touches. A regular rotation of donuts, muffins and Danishes maintain members’ interest because of their unique flavor profiles and seasonal ingredients. He places tremendous emphasis on quality control, opting to bake everything in-house, which results in consistently positive feedback.
Find the full recipe for Dunegrass Golf Club Executive Chef Drew Kinney’s donut holes, a staple on the buffet table and at member events, at the link above.
To ensure that a steady flow of breakfast pastries is consumed throughout the club experience, Kinney and his team must execute a carefully planned operation. Breakfast buffets reflect his hallmark styles of comfort-meets-creativity with quiches, zucchini bread and lemon loaves, complemented by donut holes and cinnamon rolls. By lunchtime at the golf turn, warm and soft cookies take center stage.
“We’ve found that starting the day with high-quality, thoughtfully prepared offerings sets the tone for the entire dining and golf experience,” Kinney says. “In many ways, a good breakfast leads to a good lunch, and that consistent quality builds trust and anticipation among members and players.”
Back to the donut holes, which have become a pastry staple on the buffet table and at member events. Kinney banks on them for their ability to be both familiar and fun. Assorted varieties range from classic cinnamon sugar and glazed, to seasonal jam and custard filled. Because of their small size, donut holes work just as well for casual outdoor set-ups as they do for larger buffet spreads.
“Guests appreciate the ability to sample multiple flavors without committing to just one, which adds an interactive and memorable element to the experience,” adds Kinney. “Their adaptability, crowd-pleasing flavor, and ease of service make donut holes a standout option for gatherings of all kinds.”
