Tom McIntyre, VP Group Publisher of the Club + Resort Network, shares how Club + Resort Chef is striving to serve readers.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt this uncertain in my life. I’m stuck in the middle on so many issues. It’s driving me crazy.
For instance, when I try to give my kids advice on how to deal with the pandemic, I question how bad it really is. I wonder if the media is overblowing it or if there is political gain behind each move. I wonder if it’s worth shutting down the country and the world. Epidemiologists don’t agree, so how can we?
How can we make informed decisions when no one agrees on anything? Face masks: mandatory or optional? Is working from home increasing or decreasing productivity? How should we deal with unemployment? What should be the stimulus reimbursement policy?
I also can’t stand the divisiveness in this country and the constant conflict. The media not differentiating peaceful protests vs. rioting and looting. Disturbing incidents of racism that I can’t believe still exists in this country, but I’m not naive enough to know it doesn’t, and it has to stop. I don’t even want to start on career politicians and book deals. John Bolton: money grabber or patriot? This list goes on, and I’m exhausted.
Then there’s social media. I used to like perusing it, to take my mind off work and check out cool recipes or golf courses. But now it only angers me. The vitriol from all sides makes me want to shut everything off. (Although K-pop fans on Tik Tok crushing a Presidential rally is kind of genius. Note to Trump: Don’t pick a fight with Gen Z on social media. They’re better at it than you.)
Thankfully, amid all this uncertainty, there’s a place I can always turn to regain my balance and hit my stride: our unique segment of club and resort foodservice. It’s been truly inspiring to see so many progressive and creative chefs, food-and-beverage directors and general managers reopen their clubs, reformat strategies and tactics and pivot, all while still holding themselves to their pre-COVID-19 standards for delivering the very best they can for members, guests and employees.
At Club + Resort Chef and Club + Resort Business, we serve two customers: our readers and our sponsors. Our motto has always been, “If we serve our readers first, we’ll serve our sponsors best.” And just as you have been finding new ways to still provide the best for your members and your staff, we have developed a variety of new platforms to add to what we regularly present in our magazines and on our websites:
Club and Resort Talks is a weekly podcast series offering insightful interviews with the club world’s most interesting managers and chefs. Listen here.
Joanna DeChellis, Editor of C+RC, continues to produce podcasts from home for this weekly series, where she interviews chefs from across the country about a variety of topics ranging from career paths to recovery plans.
In this weekly video interview series, Tom Birmingham, CEC, Director of the Club + Resort Chef Association, catches up with chefs to discuss current happenings. Watch here.
Chef to Chef Live!
Tom Birmingham, CEC, Director of the Club + Resort Chef Association, is “traveling” virtually around the country, to check in with chefs about how they’re coping and what they’re doing proactively to help their clubs and members.
Club + Resort Business, Club + Resort Chef and the Club + Resort Chef Association kick off a new video series, to provide fresh insights into how club and resort properties are meeting the challenges posed by the pandemic. Watch here.
The Road Back
This new short-story video series runs every Friday morning and showcases how clubs are reopening and returning to full operation. Joe Barks, Editor of C+RB, and Rob Thomas, Senior Editor, are championing this series and there are now over a half-dozen episodes you can catch on-demand.
These new features and others—including daily blogs from industry leaders, special COVID-19 reports, and a variety of new video content edited and produced by our dynamic videographers—are all designed to help you do your job better.
Community has always been an important buzzword for Club + Resort Chef. And we have made it our mission to continue to share best practices and ideas for you and by you, because no one else is serving this segment.
To keep me focused on what is certain, here is your call to action. E-mail me at [email protected] and tell me know what you like, what you don’t and what you want to see more of. This team is ready, willing and able to serve you in ways that continue to be meaningful and useful.
