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| Chef's Showcase |
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| Bringing The World To Virginia
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Derrick Beverly invites menu input from Chatmoss members.
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Executive Chef: Derrick Beverly
Operation: Chatmoss Country Club
Location: Martinsville, VA
Concept: member-pleasing dishes with a global flair, served in comfortable surroundings
Club president: Bob Davis
General manager Michelle Benton
Dining venues: Boxwood Grille and the Elmwood Bar; banquet and meeting facilities, poolside and tennis court snack bars
Average price for cooking classes: $30 per couple or $20 per person
Number of cooking staff: about nine total
Spring menu features: flatbread pizzas, $8.95; Virginian Cordon Bleu, with chicken, Brie and Smithfield ham, $13.95; Caribbean duck, salad, $8.95; Grilled beef panini, $6.95
Web site: www.chatmosscc.org
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| What are some of the ways in which you help make the food a draw for the country club? – Questions & Answers
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How involved are the club's members in menu development?
We change menus every season, so we begin soliciting ideas several weeks out in the monthly newsletter. Members are invited to submit ideas via e-mail. You'd be surprised how many participate. At the same time one of the membership committees is scheduling annual events and special themed parties for the season. I'm also getting input from my staff and developing ideas on my own.
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What happens next?
The ideas are all gathered up and organized, before I meet with two designated members of the Governing Board. They give their input and help hone down the ideas, based on what they've heard from members and their own experiences. We might discuss recipes people have brought in from Southern Living magazine or the Food Television Network or dishes people have tried on recent travels. It's very collaborative.
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It sounds like quite a system.
From start to finish the process usually takes a couple of months. Right now, for example, we're wrapping up the summer menu. I like to keep this season light and fresh: not much deep fried, virtually nothing braised, with an emphasis on the grill. We'll be having a lot of chutneys and relishes instead of complicated sauces.
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Doesn't that require that you know how to cook virtually everything?
Well, yes, in a way, but I do have a lot of experience with different types of cuisines. I've worked at country clubs, mom-and-pop places and even owned my own Caribbean restaurant for a while.
Maybe you've noticed on the menu we include Asian, Caribbean, Italian, French and American dishes. I like to mix and match flavors a bit, but for the most part I steer clear of complicated fusion cooking. The members seem to like it that way, and so do I.
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Is it actually easier to develop a menu that works when you have direct interaction and input from your customers?
In many ways, yes, though I feel a responsibility to please many different interests. I try to think of events, parties and menu items that appeal to each age group in our membership - including the kids. And because I'm a bit of a perfectionist, I want to make sure I satisfy every single person.
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What's one of the most popular events?
Cooking class. We're doing such a class once a month now, and even though I try to cut it off at 40 participants, we get as many as 54 people enrolled.
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How do the classes work?
We set up in the kitchen at 5:30 p.m., with a long work table laid out with the necessary knives and equipment. The guests are seated in front, and they're invited to jump in and participate whenever they want. Each is given what I call a syllabus, which outlines the items we're going to be preparing, anywhere from seven to 12 things. As we're working through the dishes, I'll talk about the ingredients, history and background of the region we're focusing on.
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What are some recent themes?
On Father's Day we'll be doing "King of the Grill," where we'll make everything from appetizers to desserts on the barbecue. And since the class already is filled up, it looks as if we'll be doing a second one, too. After that it's Caribbean in July and Alaska in August. Both will focus on light and refreshing seafood dishes.
French classes are always the most popular, though we also get a great response for Italian themed menus and seafood. You'd be surprised at the growing interest in learning to cook. I'd say about five percent of our membership takes their vacations at cooking schools around the world. It's a really big deal for a lot of them.
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You must enjoy teaching and be good at it.
I do enjoy teaching, and I guess it shows. We try to encourage a lot of young people by offering various internship and extern programs in our kitchen. We even have high-school kids from three area schools come check out a possible career in food service in what's called a "groundhog shadowing program."
Part of what I like is the fact that I am still learning in my own career. It's something that never stops. I also get great satisfaction from watching the next generation pick up the torch and carry it. It's meaningful to think that I helped them get a start in a career that they, too, will love.
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