Registration is now open for the 2023 Chef to Chef Conference—and change is in the air.
Historically, Chef to Chef has kicked off Sunday first with pre-conference sessions followed by a welcome reception, keynote address and kickoff party.
This year, we’re extending the learning opportunities to include bonus Saturday programming with three Chef to Chef Certification Seminars, the return of the Club Tour and breakout tracks on Tuesday afternoon.
On Saturday, March 4th, there will be several programming options attendees can choose from:
WSET Level 1 Wine Course and Exam
We will also offer a Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 1 Wine Course and Exam from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday.
The WSET Level 1 course will provide a systematized way of learning about and tasting wine, focusing on practical, hands-on knowledge and designed to build a foundation for future exploration.
The seminar will introduce chefs to the basics of wine, broad different styles, simple storage and service rules, and easy techniques for pairing wine with various foods. The day will be broken into two parts with tastings and lunch.
The seminar will end with the WSET Level 1 Wine exam. Upon successful completion, chefs will receive a WSET certificate and a lapel pin by mail.
Ocean Reef Club Club Tour
When we took the Chef to Chef Conference to Charlotte, we introduced the first-ever Club Tour, where attendees had the unique opportunity to get an up-close, exclusive look at the food-and-beverage operations of Quail Hollow Club, Carmel Country Club and Myers Park Country Club.
After that event, we received such positive feedback that we decided to bring the club tour back to Miami.
On Saturday, March 4th, attendees will get an up-close, exclusive look at the food-and-beverage operation inside the legendary Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Fla.
This unique, limited-attendance club tour is only available to the first 35 attendees who sign up. The tour includes luxury bussing from Miami to Ocean Reef. Upon arrival, attendees will meet with the club’s vice presidents, chefs and executive leadership team, who will offer an insightful look at the club’s daily operations.
From there, attendees will break into smaller groups for an educational golf cart tour of Ocean Reef’s culinary operation and restaurants. Each group will be guided by one of Ocean Reef’s culinary professionals.
Each group will spend 25 minutes at the following restaurants:
- Islander / Beach Area / Palm Court Cantina
- Ocean Room / Reef Lounge & Lobby
- Clubhouse / Grille
- Commissary – Banquet / Pastry / Garde Manger
- Fishing Village / Gianni / Raw Bar / Burgee
The Ocean Reef Club Tour will conclude a Keys Style Beach BBQ Dinner attendees won’t soon forget, featuring some of the Reef’s most popular food stations.
If you want to attend one of the Chef to Chef Certification Seminars or the Club Tour, you can select any of those options as part of registration, and the system will add the cost of that opportunity to your cart.
Afterward, you will be asked to choose your pre-conference workshops, which are included in your registration cost, just as they were in the past.
Finally, you will be asked to choose your Tuesday afternoon sessions.
Split Track Tuesday
Chef to Chef continues to grow in size. Last year, we had nearly 500 attendees, and while there’s merit to a single-track conference, there are plenty of benefits to offering limited, smaller-group breakout sessions.
With that in mind, we’ve replaced Chef to Chef Live with split tracks on Tuesday, March 5th, in the afternoon, preceding the Club + Resort Chef of the Year Culinary Competition.
There are five sessions to choose between.
We will offer one double session from 1 pm to 2:45 pm.
Pasta-Making Master Class With Pastaio Ryan Peters
During this hands-on, 2-hour workshop, Chef Peters will discuss the unique distinction a handmade artisan pasta program can bring to a club’s culinary operation. He will cover the theory of pasta-making, current pasta trends, how to use an extruder, how pasta can help with food costs and more.
Attendees will be assigned to stations throughout the room for the hands-on portion, where each team of partners will get to create a volcano of dough and shape various forms.
We will offer two shorter sessions from 1 pm to 1:45 pm on Tuesday, March 5th.
Advanced Club Confections
Delve into the world of confectionery under the guidance of Ocean Reef Club’s Executive Pastry Chef, Jeffrey Munchel. In this session, attendees will learn the art of tempering chocolate and how to cast it into candy bar molds. He will demonstrate pâte de fruit, chocolate bonbons, salted caramel filling and a simple chocolate bar with toasted nuts and dried fruits.
Creating a Career Culture for Cooks
As clubs struggle to recruit cooks, servers and staff, many are exploring ways to make their business fairer and more humane. In this session, Rhy Waddington, Executive Chef of The Palmetto Bluff Company, will share Palmetto Bluff Club’s strategy for creating a career culture for its culinary team, with commission-based incentives, staff housing and more.
We will offer another two shorter sessions from 2 pm to 2:45 pm on Tuesday, March 5th.
Drive Dessert Sales With Classic Desserts
Laura Herman, CEPC, Executive Pastry Chef of Shoreacres, will share her dessert menu-writing strategy from her new club, where she uses classic desserts to help drive sales. She will demo a variety of stunning dessert plate-ups while offering sound production tips using many existing tools from club pastry kitchens. She will also provide insights into how a club pastry department can assist in lowering food costs and boost sales in unique ways.
A Mental Health Toolkit for Chefs
Many chefs and culinary teams struggle to address mental health challenges. In this session, chefs will learn from an industry support specialist how to talk to struggling colleagues and establish a plan, learn strategies for fostering resilience, implement a staff check-in system and more.
Every year, the Chef to Chef Conference gets better. 2023 will be no exception. These enhancements to the agenda were added so attendees could make the most of their time learning new ideas, tactics and strategies to bring home and implement at their clubs. Be sure to register immediately so you don’t miss out on all these bonus opportunities.
