Don Smith, Executive Chef, St. Charles (Ill.) CC

Executive Chef Donald S. Smith was born and raised in Arlington Heights, Ill and has been involved in the restaurant business since the age of 15. After starting as a dishwasher and then moving up to busboy, managers took notice in Don’s attention to ?detail and spotted a “promising young man” —from there, ?Don was allowed to work in the kitchen, garnishing plates, and shortly was promoted to a line cook.

After graduating from high school, Don got his first opportunity to experience working for a “real” chef at Allgauer’s in the Northbrook (Ill.) Hilton. He recalls exactly what this chef told him at that time, because the words stayed with him and were the basis for his goals in the following years. “If you work hard,” the chef told him, “you can be head chef by the time you are 25 years old.”

While working at Allgauer’s, Don received his Associates Degree in Food Service Management from Harper College in Palatine and then went on to enroll in Dumas Pere, a French culinary school in Glenview, Illinois.

Upon graduating, Chef Smith went on to quickly experience the full world of culinary arts in a variety of work environments. He started by working at the James Tavern and then the Westmoreland Country Club as sous chef. From there, he moved on to run the kitchen at Fedoras, rated one of Chicago’s Top Ten restaurants by the Chicago Sun-Times in 1989. Smith then moved on to Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northbrook, also as the sous chef, for three years. Then, it happened – he landed the job as Head Chef at Bannockburn Bath & Tennis Club at only 25 years of age (just like the chef told him seven years earlier). His hard work had paid off!

Don then took a position as sous chef at Northmoor Country Club for two years, spent three years as head chef at Poplar Creek Country Club, followed by two years at Riverside Golf Club and then back to Bannockburn Bath & Tennis Club before finally taking his current position at St. Charles CC.

Don has been a member of the Club Chefs’ Association of America for many years and has served on the Board of Directors of the Chicago chapter as its Treasurer and, in 2005, as the Club’s President. Don was named the organization’s “Chef of the Year” in 2007.

Drawing on his vast experience in planning and executing events at a wide variety of venue, Chef Smith’s presentation in this session will include these areas: