The agenda for the 2026 Chef to Chef Conference is now live. The annual event, presented by Club + Resort Chef and scheduled for March 8–10 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, features a robust lineup of culinary demonstrations, leadership sessions, operational deep dives, and career-forward discussions designed for today’s club and resort culinary leaders.
The 2026 agenda highlights include:
Inside The Broadmoor’s Culinary Operation
By David Patterson, Vice President of Food & Beverage, The Broadmoor and Justin Miller, Executive Chef, The Broadmoor
As the 2026 Chef to Chef Conference kicks off, attendees will hear directly from the culinary leaders behind one of the most storied hospitality institutions in America. David Patterson and Justin Miller will share insights into The Broadmoor’s world-class culinary operation—home to 20 outlets, 18 kitchens, and a team of more than 150 culinarians. They’ll discuss what makes this place so special, the philosophy that drives their team, and why hosting Chef to Chef at The Broadmoor is such a meaningful moment for them and for the conference.
Leadership Beyond the Line: Trust, Mentorship, and Long-Term Impact
By Joseph M. Leonardi, CMC, AAC, Assistant General Manager, St. Andrews Country Club
Joseph Leonardi, CMC, AAC, Assistant General Manager of St. Andrews Country Club, explores how a background in culinary management provides the tools to lead effectively across all facets of club operations. Drawing on decades of developing chefs prepared to lead at the highest level, Leonardi will reflect on how trust is built, earned, and sustained within strong teams. He will walk through his role in bringing Lakeside, the club’s newest restaurant, from concept to completion, showing how culinary thinking, mentorship, and long-term perspective shape culture, standards, and direction. This session sets the tone for the conference with a focus on growth, stewardship, and the enduring influence of the craft.
Cultivating Connection Through the Chef’s Table (Live Culinary Demo)
By Andrew Haapala, Executive Chef, The Country Club of Virginia
In this live cooking demonstration, Chef Andrew Haapala will showcase how the Chef’s Table can serve as both a creative outlet and a tool for building stronger relationships with members and guests. Through thoughtful menu design, interactive presentation, and intentional storytelling, he’ll explore how to turn the Chef’s Table into a platform for connection and collaboration. Attendees will see firsthand how each dish reflects a balance of craft and communication, blending technique with hospitality to create moments that resonate beyond the meal itself.
Creating Interest on the Plate: Color, Texture, and Technique (Live Culinary Demo)
By Darby Blount, Chef de Cuisine, The Greenbrier
Plating is how chefs tell a story through food. In this cooking demonstration, Darby Blount, Chef de Cuisine at The Greenbrier Resort, will show how color, texture and contrast bring that story to life. She will demonstrate techniques for creating fluid gels, brightly colored purees, sauces, starches and creative garnishes. The session will end with several plate-ups that show how each element can be applied across different plating styles to elevate presentation and create a memorable dining experience.
The Half-Year Kitchen: Sustaining Standards in a Seasonal Operation
By Scott Craig, WCMC, CCCD, Executive Chef, Cullasaja Club
Scott Craig, WCMC, CCCD, Executive Chef of Cullasaja Club, examines how to sustain high standards in a seasonal operation where time, staffing, and margin for error are limited, with particular attention to international team members who form the backbone of many half-year kitchens. With little time for traditional training, Craig explains how hiring, clear communication, and the work environment itself shape performance. He outlines how he sets expectations early and builds systems that support consistency from opening day through the final service, offering practical insight into how leadership choices, accountability, and culture keep standards intact across a compressed season.
Nose to Tail: Plant-Based Cooking in the Rocky Mountains (Live Culinary Demo)
By Brian Wallace, Executive Sous Chef, Roaring Fork Club
This session will explore the philosophy of terroir-driven, full-product utilization through a plant-based lens. Centered on the ingredients of the Rocky Mountains, it will highlight how chefs can transform soups and salads into refined expressions of place while repurposing byproducts for creative presentation. The discussion will also touch on the culinary, sustainability and financial benefits of building direct relationships with local farmers to strengthen both menus and margins.
The First-Year Playbook: How to Lead, Set Pace, and Build Trust in a New Role
By Zeb Hartline, Director of Culinary Operations, Reynolds Lake Oconee Culinary
Zeb Hartline, Director of Culinary Operations at Reynolds Lake Oconee, breaks down what the first year in a new culinary leadership role actually looks like. He’ll outline the checkpoints that shape a strong start—the 30/60/90 plan, the one-year arc, and the signals that reveal where to focus early. Expect clear guidance on spotting low-hanging fruit, boosting team morale, identifying real needle-movers, and assembling the right people around you. Hartline will also share how he’s navigated member-owned and non-member-owned environments and the lessons that shaped his approach.
How Not to Kill Each Other: A Chef and GM Conversation
By Joseph Krenn, CCM, CCE, CEO & General Manager, Farmington Country Club, and Michael Matarazzo, CEC, Executive Chef, Farmington Country Club
Successful clubs are built on strong relationships, and few are more critical than the partnership between the Executive Chef and the General Manager. Yet many chefs feel disconnected from decision-making, misunderstood by leadership, or unsupported in the resources needed to run a high-performing department. In this candid and interactive session, Farmington Country Club’s General Manager, Joe Krenn, and Executive Chef, Michael Matarazzo, who have worked side-by-side at Farmington for more than a decade, share the real story behind their long-standing collaboration. Through honest conversation, practical examples, and unfiltered “real talk,” they will explore how trust was built, how challenges were navigated, and how mutual respect transformed their working relationship into a driver of growth, stability, and member satisfaction.
Building a Sustainable Staffing Pipeline
By William Rogers, CEC, CCA, Executive Chef, Cosmos Club
This session takes a clear look at how to build a dependable staffing pipeline that supports the kitchen today and strengthens it for years to come. Rogers will walk through how structured internships, summer roles, and recent graduates can form a reliable funnel for future line cooks and leaders. He’ll also outline how the Cosmos Club has created a learning culture with defined growth paths, including multiple internal management promotions slated in 2026 as the brigade evolves.
How Standards Become Systems
By Beth Cosgrove, Executive Chef, Palmetto Bluff Club
Beth Cosgrove, Executive Chef at Palmetto Bluff, will break down the systems she uses to maintain quality across a large, complex operation. This session focuses on the practical mechanics behind consistency, including how expectations are documented, how training is structured, how communication flows through the kitchen, and how accountability is reinforced day to day. Cosgrove will outline the leadership habits and operational frameworks that turn standards into repeatable results on the plate and within the team.
Designing for What Comes Next
By Geneveive Guthrie, Executive Chef, The Coral Bay Club
After a complete rebuild of Coral Bay Club’s clubhouse and kitchen, Chef Genevieve Guthrie shifted her focus from construction to culture—turning a new space into a smarter, more sustainable operation. In this session, she’ll share the practical lessons learned from reshaping workflow, redefining systems, and using design to strengthen her team’s efficiency and creativity year-round. Attendees will gain insights they can apply in their own clubs, whether planning a renovation or simply rethinking how their kitchens function day to day.
A Flavor-First Approach to Modern Cooking (Live Culinary Demo)
By Corey B. Siegel, Chef and 5X Culinary Olympic gold medalist
Led by Corey Siegel, a five-time Culinary Olympic gold medalist, this live culinary demo explores how dishes are built with flavor as the foundation. The session dives into techniques for developing deeper and more complex flavors through fermentation, thoughtful layering, and innovative ingredient combinations, with clear explanations of why each choice matters. Attendees learn how flavors evolve over time, how to recognize when they plateau, and how to push them further with intention. The session also addresses how to apply a flavor-first mindset across different menus and service styles, offering practical insight to create bold, balanced, and memorable food in any kitchen.
Wellness, Choice, and the Modern Club Menu
By Bertrand Bouquin, Culinary Director, Desert Mountain
Led by Bertrand Bouquin, Culinary Director of Desert Mountain, this session draws on decades of experience leading complex culinary operations at the highest level of global hospitality. Bouquin will outline how Desert Mountain’s Green Leaf program and Blue Zone influence are applied across one of the most impressive private club culinary operations in the country, balancing longevity-focused principles with real member demand. The session focuses on how menu identity, structure, and daily decision-making guide healthier choices without restriction, and how culinary and wellness teams stay aligned across multiple outlets. Attendees will gain practical insight from a chef who understands both classical discipline and modern club realities.
Train Your Sous Chef To Do Your Job
By Charles Carroll, CEC, AAC, HGT, Executive Chef, River Oaks Country Club
In his last Chef to Chef presentation, Chef Charles Carroll explored the importance of making memories. This year, he’s building on that message with a new realization—chefs can’t be everywhere at once, and they shouldn’t have to be. This session breaks down how to train sous chefs to think, act, and lead like executive chefs. Chef Carroll will share his five-step process for building ownership across multiple outlets, from menu development and scheduling to budgeting and committee involvement. Attendees will learn how to create a structure that gives sous chefs real responsibility and genuine buy-in, allowing the entire operation to grow stronger together.
Taken together, the 2026 Chef to Chef Conference agenda reflects the evolving realities of club and resort culinary leadership. The sessions move beyond technique alone to examine how chefs build trust, develop teams, sustain standards, and navigate the operational and cultural pressures that define modern club and resort kitchens. With perspectives from chefs and managers actively leading programs of varying scale and complexity, the conference offers a cross-section of how the profession is thinking, adapting, and moving forward.
The full agenda for the 2026 Chef to Chef Conference is now available, with the event scheduled for March 8–10 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Interested chefs can register here.
