Shelby Confer began her role as Executive Chef of Woodmont Country Club (Rockville, Md.) in April 2021, following 12 years at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Fla. Her primary goal at her new club, she says, is to affect the overall culture in the kitchen, to make working at Woodmont CC “the best experience possible,” which she expects to accomplish both by leading by example and getting to know the staff.
“Everyone has a story,” she says. The key is “getting to know everyone you have in the kitchen [and] what they want from their job.”
Confer shares more about her first year in her new role, the most significant differences between Woodmont CC and Ocean Reef Club, and why she’s learned to take advice with a grain of salt.