TJ Garrish, CEC, Executive Chef of Maryland Golf and Country Clubs, says his Beef and Mushroom Shawarma Skewers were inspired by a meal he had at a restaurant.
“The skewers were cut perfectly square, and the presentation just stopped me in my tracks,” he says. “I wanted to bring that same visual impact to our membership while also introducing them to Middle Eastern flavors they might not otherwise try—cumin, sumac, saffron, zhoug.”
He ran it as a special first to test the waters, and it sold extremely well.
“The beef and mushrooms are marinated together in a house shawarma spice blend—warm notes of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cardamom—so the mushrooms actually deepen the beef’s flavor overnight,” Garrnish notes. “The plate builds around a swoosh of saffron whipped yogurt, a zigzag of Yemeni zhoug for herbal heat, sumac pickled red onion for acidity, and a finishing drizzle of pomegranate molasses with toasted pine nuts and fresh herbs. It’s bold, layered, and colorful—meant to read as a composed plate, not just a grill item.”
Getting the skewers to look perfectly square took some R&D, he says.
“We layer the beef and mushroom together and use a small amount of transglutaminase to bond them, then portion and cut the block so each skewer comes out with clean, uniform square edges rather than round, uneven pieces. We even put the trim to good use—it goes into our beef bulgogi dish on the menu, so nothing’s wasted.”
Ultimately, the dish has been a hit.
“Members consistently comment on how striking the presentation is,” Garrish says, “and they’ve responded really well to the boldness of the flavors—it’s become one of our most-talked-about specials.”
