Paul O’Toole, Executive Chef, Deerfield Golf & Tennis Club, Newark, Del.

In addition to his role as Executive Chef at Deerfield Golf & Tennis Club, Paul O’Toole, CEC, AAC, is the Executive Culinary Officer for Forewinds Hospitality. In this capacity he is responsible for overseeing the culinary programs at all Forewinds destination properties including, food and beverage quality control, menu development, culinary staff recruitment and training, as well as instilling the Forewinds standards for all restaurant operations and banquet and catering services.

Chef O’Toole brings 30 years of culinary hospitality experience to his position with Forewinds. Prior to joining the company in December of 2005, he served as an independent consultant providing expertise in food and beverage operations for both start-up and existing facilities since 2000.

Chef O’Toole entered the world of country club food and beverage operations in 1984 as Executive Sous Chef for Aronimink Golf Club, Newtown Square, Pa. In 1994 he then joined Waynesborough Country Club, Newtown Square, Pa, where he spent 10 years as Executive Chef.

In 1995 Chef O’Toole joined 1492 Hospitality Group, Inc, Avondale, Pa, where he served as Executive Chef responsible for the food and beverage operations for five restaurants and two premier golf club facilities. Additionally he began a popular monthly cooking class series at both Mountain Branch Golf Course, Joppa, Md., and Hartefeld National Golf Club, Avondale, Pa.

Chef O’Toole has hosted and co-hosted numerous culinary events for major PGA tournaments and currently serves as Board Chairman for the Delaware Valley Chef’s Association of Greater Philadelphia. He is National Education Chairman for the American Academy of Chefs, and has been recognized by the American Culinary Federation’s Delaware Valley chapter as Chef of the Year (1992) and Culinarian of the Year (1991). O’Toole has served as mentor to two of the last five United States Culinary Youth Team Member Apprentices and was named as a candidate for Northeast Regional Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation (ACF) in 2002.

During his career Chef O’Toole has also developed a “specialty niche” in public and private club F&B consulting, and as such has become known as a roving “Mr. Fix-It” that has led him to work with over 20 of America’s top 100 clubs, including Sea Island Resort in Georgia and Mid-Pines Resort in North Carolina. In these engagements, Paul has immersed himself in food and beverage operations to help identify and fix problem areas and map out plans for giving F&B that extra push that’s needed to go to an elite level. Many of the concepts developed in his restaurants are pieces he has gathered through his many experiences.

Specific areas covered in this session will include: