C+RC’s Editor, Joanna DeChellis, says persistence is a non-negotiable for success.
Business is full of ups and downs—especially for club chefs, which is exactly why persistence is a non-negotiable for success.
But being able to commit to an idea and stay the course, for better or for worse, is challenging.
Let’s take Stephen Pribish, Executive Chef of Overbrook Golf Club (Villanova, Pa.), and the cover story in this issue (Over and Above at Overbrook GC), for example. On the heels of a major kitchen renovation, he was actively a part of, he came up with the idea to not just tweak a few things about the operation once the renovation was complete. He went all-in and launched three intensive new programs, with more coming in the next few years.
Pribish and Overbrook didn’t become the cover feature of this issue overnight. It took ten years of attending Chef to Chef Conferences, of honing his craft, of building rapport with his members, and of plain old hard work. His continued commitment to improving the program for his members and his culinary team was a prerequisite for success. All of that persistence brought him to a place that is now yielding tremendous results.
Let’s shift over to the Chef to Chef special feature in this issue (One Chef Shares Journey through Addiction into Recovery), where I had the unique opportunity to interview a club chef I greatly admire about his journey through addiction and into recovery.
His story is important to share for his own purposes, but I think it’s an especially important subject to bring up as clubs continue to struggle with hiring candidates during a time when labor is in short supply.
Every day for this chef is a challenge. But he continues to persist in the face of each obstacle, and his career growth speaks volumes about his will to succeed.
While these stories differ in theme, the common thread—that of staying the course, in order to find success—runs true for both.
The journey is a marathon. Believe in yourself, your team and your mission. There will be bumps in the road. There will be lots of no’s and setbacks. But if you stay the course, you will find success.