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Chef's Showcase

Modern Fine Food At One Of America's First Estate Properties

		Executive chef: Marvin Herrera Foodservice venues: Farmington Grill, Terrace Room, 10th tee and poolside snack bars, three banquet rooms Farmington property first patented: 1744 Architect of main octagonal room: Thomas Jefferson Country Club organized in: 1927 Concept: High-quality fine dining, casual meals, celebrations and snacks for country club members and guests Dayparts: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, special events, on-site catering Number of seats: 140 in Farmington Grill, 40 in Terrace Room, 350 in Ballroom, 100 in main dining room, 40 in Jefferson Room Farmington Grill check Averages: $8 lunch; $12-$16 dinner Number of country club members: 3,000
Executive Chef Marvin Herrera

What's it like to run a multifaceted foodservice operation in a nonprofit model? - Questions & Answers

What are some of the main differences between running foodservice at a country club and a conventional operation?
We run the restaurants, banquets and snack bars on a not-for-profit basis to provide the ultimate service to our members. That means all items are priced lower than they would be at other restaurants, hotels and catering halls.

But more important, being nonprofit means we can afford to offer the best available product because the budget is more achievable. We run 39-percent food costs, much higher than most restaurants. If we do crab cakes, then we use jumbo lump crabmeat. All of our beef is certified Black Angus. We have fresh product delivered every day, and I have three people working on receiving alone.

Wow. So your labor allocations must run pretty high, too?
Another advantage to working in a country club is having the staff you need to produce what you need to do. Each venue has a chef in charge plus there are both a.m. and p.m. sous chefs. There's a pastry chef plus two assistants plus the three people in purchasing. And those are just the leadership positions.

All tolled labor on banquets runs about 16 percent and for the Farmington Grill restaurant about 22 percent to 25 percent because everything is made from scratch and cooked per order.

What's the menu like at the Farmington Grill?
We offer breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lunch alone does between 150 and 200 covers every day, with dinners almost the same, so we're pretty busy all the time.

This is our family-oriented dining room, featuring a wood-burning oven that we use for pizzas, calzones, roast poultry and shrimp appetizers. One of our best sellers is the crab-scallop cake, served on a toasted roll with dill-lemon mayonnaise. During the day there's a cold salad buffet with soup, fresh bread and cookies for dessert. And pizzas and sandwiches are very popular.

For dinner the menu ranges from grilled New York strip steak to salmon Florentine to traditional Southern fried chicken and calf's liver. We also offer baby back ribs, Thai shrimp and roasted pork tenderloin.

How often does the menu change?
Twice a year we make a big menu change. We used to do it four times a year, but then 60 percent wasn't changing. Every day we offer three specials for lunch and dinner, giving us a chance to try out some new dishes and let the cooks have some fun.

The best thing about the changes is how we prepare for them. We have a chance to develop recipes for everything. Then we develop costing sheets. Two weeks before rolling the new menu out, we start talking about it, describing all the new items. The wait staff must pass a test about the menu before they're allowed on the floor. So by the time we implement the menu, everyone is totally familiar with both preparation and presentation and able to explain everything to our guests.

What's the Terrace Room like?
It's open only for dinner, Wednesday through Saturday. Seasonally, the actual terrace is open, adding additional seating. The room is sort of romantic, with one of the most beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the area.

The food is more refined and more adventurous than in the Farmington Grill. For example, first courses include lobster bisque, jumbo shrimp roasted with gorgonzola and wrapped in pancetta, and roasted marinated pheasant. Entrees might be quail stuffed with bulgur and dried fruits, baked Virginia sea bass with corn fritters, seared monkfish with curry cream sauce, or herb-crusted rack of lamb.

Are there any special food events at Farmington?
I sell dinner packages known as the Gourmet Club - one dinner every month in the Terrace Room. There are no menus, but before each course, I come out and explain the food and why it is paired with a specific wine. The packages are extremely popular and fill up the minute the date is announced. They are for our most adventurous diners and really give me a chance to showcase some special ingredients and techniques.

Several times a year we host winemaker dinners, where a local vintner comes to the club and we develop a menu around what he or she is sharing. It's an educational format, too, with discussion before each course about the wine and the food.

And then there are the big family parties. The biggest is on the Fourth of July, when we put on a big outdoor picnic for about 1,500 people. We set up grills and get some music going, and it's really an event everyone looks forward to all year.

How have the facilities at Farmington Country Club changed in the four years you've been there?
When I arrived, the grill was under construction. We were in the process of closing the old Tap Room and moving the formal dining room from the main dining room to the Terrace Room. So the banquet facilities and restaurants have been completely reconfigured.

Do you work out of one central kitchen?
We actually have two kitchens. The Farmington Grill has its own because it's so busy. The main kitchen services the banquets, The Terrace Room, the snack bars, and it also houses the bake shop, which produces fresh bread and desserts for the entire operation.

Have you had to adjust your cooking philosophy since you came to Farmington?
No, not really. I like simple fresh food prepared with great ingredients. If you start with excellent product and apply proper techniques, then you shouldn't have any reason to overspice or overseason. I don't lean toward any one specific cuisine; I enjoy them all. But my fresh fish has to be perfect, I like to pick my own produce, and I'm generally demanding of everything that comes in the kitchen.

Working at Farmington is a little like having 3,000 bosses. Whatever we do, we do for the members, and they have a food and beverage committee that helps vocalize what the guests expect. Once a month we all get together and discuss menus, information from the comment cards and upcoming events.