Paul Verica, Executive Chef, The Club at Longview, Charlotte, N.C.

Since arriving at The Club at Longview in 2005, Chef Paul Verica has quickly emerged as one of the fastest rising stars in club cuisine As detailed in a C&RB “Chef to Chef” profile (“A Garden Adds Variety,” December 2007), Verica has already made his mark at the new (opened in 2003), high-end private club in the challenging Charlotte market through a variety of innovative approaches, including a fresh “market menu” program that increased weekend cover counts by 15% in a six-month period, with almost a $3 increase in check averages. He’s also generated 20% of the produce used for his operation through an extensive home-grown garden that’s been planted outside the clubhouse.

Innovations driven by Chef Verica have extended to a takeout business that he says “has been a great revenue stream for us, especially in the summer and around the holidays. At Thanksgiving and Christmas,” he reports, “we now offer a selection of fully prepared meals that members can order for their family holiday feasts. We’re now feeding over 200 people on these holiday occasions just with to-go meals. The revenue is great, and it frees up more space in our dining room so we can maximize the number of covers that we do for the buffet.”

Verica will draw on his experiences, as well as those of others he’s consulted within the club industry, to provide insights on areas that will include: