When Mario Trujillo arrived at Blowing Rock (N.C.) Country Club as Executive Chef, he resisted the urge to immediately start changing things. His first priority was to learn.
“I think that first year, that’s exactly what we needed to do,” says Trujillo. “Establish ourselves, find a foundation, figure out what the membership wanted, what they like, develop that trust, show face and really get to know the membership.”
A year later, Trujillo has a clearer understanding of the club, its culture and the expectations of a membership drawn from across the Southeast. He also has a baseline from which he believes the culinary team can continue to raise the bar.
The first year was not without its challenges, though. Trujillo describes parts of the experience as “survival,” particularly as he navigated the demands of leading a club culinary operation for the first time.
Throughout that transition, he leaned heavily on the chefs and mentors who helped shape his career, including Cullasaja Club’s Executive Chef, Scott Craig, CEC, CCA, WCMC, HoF, and Detroit Athletic Club’s Executive Chef, Shawn Loving, CMC.
“The worst thing possible is to be alone when you’re going through something hard,” Trujillo says. “Having people that you can lean on and that you truly admire professionally and personally” has been critical.
Those relationships are also influencing the kind of leader Trujillo wants to become.
As he looks ahead, he is focused on giving his sous chefs greater exposure, ownership and opportunities to learn the fundamentals behind the work. His goal is to pass along the same kind of guidance that helped him develop.
In a conversation with Club + Resort Chef Editorial Director Joanna DeChellis, Trujillo reflects on his first year at Blowing Rock CC, the challenge of earning member trust, the evolution of his relationship with his mentors, and what it means to go from mentee to mentor.
Watch the full interview above.
