David Conforti, General Manager/COO, Palo Alto Hills G&CC
When David Conforti, CCM, PGA, and General Manager/COO of Palo Alto Hills Golf & Country Club (Palo Alto, Calif.), decided to attend a Chef to Chef Conference, his initial intention was to support his then-chef, Garrett Yokoyama. However, he also gained an enriched understanding of club culinary, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities that lie within.
In a recent interview, Conforti shared his appreciation for the sense of community that the conference nurtured among attendees.
“The event organizers do a great job maintaining contact, soliciting feedback, and keeping us informed about future networking and learning opportunities,” he said. This approach made the event engaging and established a constructive, informative, and familiar culture that continued beyond the conference.
Building on this sense of community, Conforti elaborated on his motivations for attending the Chef to Chef Conference. He mentioned his desire to use the event as a learning tool and a way to support his chef. While he usually participates in events like the CMAA World Conference and the PGA Merchandise Show, his focus was solely on culinary. At the Chef to Chef Conference, he immersed himself in learning not just the basics but also the finer points of networking and understanding the mindset of chefs through interactions and discussions with other attendees.
“At the conference, I was able to sponge up everything I could, not just from a nuts-and-bolts perspective, but also in networking and being around the culinarians,” he says. “Observing them interact and picking up on talking points was a big help for me in learning that much more about the mentality and make-up of a chef.”
Conforti was impressed with the Chef to Chef Conference‘s ability to confirm many of the trends he and Yokoyama had observed at their club and shed light on some region-specific trends. His experience at the Chef to Chef Conference was overwhelmingly positive, describing it as “very informative and mutually beneficial.” The event also served as a valuable professional bonding opportunity with his chef, offering a platform for Yokoyama to demonstrate his expertise and approach to various scenarios.
“It enabled Chef to ‘show off’ or demonstrate what he knew and how he would address certain situations and scenarios presented at the conference,” says Conforti.
Emphasizing the significance of these gatherings, Conforti draws attention to the shared challenges confronting chefs throughout the industry.
“It was professionally comforting to learn that many of the chefs attending are facing similar headwinds: inflationary pressures on ingredients costs, the rising cost of labor, staff recruiting issues, and the importance of staff retention, to name a few,” he says.
He also stressed the value of the networking opportunities at the conference, which he believes could provide lifelong sources of information and collaboration for chefs and himself.
Conforti offered some advice to general managers who might be hesitant about sending their chefs to the Chef to Chef Conference: “Golf course superintendents have the annual GCSAA conference,” he says. “Club managers and senior front-of-house managers have World Conference. Golf professionals have the PGA Show. Club culinarians have this vehicle to learn, network, and, ultimately, grow.”
Investing in a chef’s attendance is not only a support for their professional development, but is also a means to elevate the entire culinary experience of the club, adds Conforti. Such an investment guarantees returns in the form of innovation, inspiration and a rejuvenated kitchen, all of which ultimately benefit every member and guest of the club.
