Tim Recher, CEC, AAC, MWMCS, CWX, Executive Chef of Frenchman’s Creek Beach and Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., tells Club + Resort Chef about his time as a member of the U.S. National Culinary Olympics and what it was like balancing the demands of training with running a successful—and rapidly evolving—club culinary operation.

The level of commitment and sacrifice was much more than expected, Recher admits—”but worth every minute.”

“It was everything I expected it to be and a lot more. … Balance—I don’t know if you ever really achieve it,” he adds. “You kind of find your peace with it and get through it.”