After starting his career in the restaurant business, John Wright has been involved with private-equity country clubs since 1990. Since 1998 he has been General Manager/Chief Operating Officer of Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis, Mo.  Norwood Hills is a private-equity, for-profit country club of over 800 members situated on over 300 acres in North St. Louis County. The club offers two 18-hole golf courses, seven tennis courts and a large pool complex.

During Wright’s tenure, Norwood Hills has undergone a $9.5 million addition and renovation that included doubling the size of the kitchen to 3,000 square feet and adding 25,000 square feet to the clubhouse to create a new fitness center, casual family dining room, and a large, interactive lounge area.

Along with the visible improvements, Wright has also helped guide the club’s Board of Directors to implement a Strategic Planning Committee, initiate the Norwood Hills Scholarship Trust Fund for employees and their children, and organize a yearly Board Retreat and other innovative programs.

In 2007, through an independent peer-review selection process, Mr. Wright was named winner of the “Excellence in Club Management Award,” co-sponsored by McMahon Group, Inc. and Club & Resort Business, in the category for managers of Country/Golf Clubs with 600 or More Full-Privilege members.

Wright began his food-and-beverage career in 1970 with Far West Services, Inc., the owner and operator of a large national chain of restaurants headquartered in Orange County, Calif., that included theme restaurants such as Reubens, Coco’s and The Moonraker. Far West Services also operated three floating restaurants: the Reuben E. Lee in San Diego and Newport Beach, Calif. and the Lt. Robert E. Lee in St. Louis. After working primarily in fine-dining atmospheres, including the Lt. Robert E. Lee, John opened his own restaurant in 1983 before entering the private-club sector in general management roles seven years later. He started first at Bogey Hills Country Club in St. Charles, Mo. and then moved to Greenbriar Hills Country Club in Kirkwood, Mo., before becoming Norwood Hills CC’s General Manager/COO in 1998.

Since taking the reins at Norwood Hills, Wright has helped the club increase food revenues by nearly 51% through innovative menus and club functions. Total food-and- beverage sales at Norwood Hills for its 2009-10 fiscal year were in excess of $2.7 million. The club’s food-and-beverage department has continuously shown a profit for the last three years and, in spite of a difficult economy and membership reductions, club usage has actually increased by 2% in each of those years.

With his sights set on an even more successful fiscal 2011, Wright has budgeted a 15% food- and-beverage increase in anticipation of additional activity after the club completes a $425,000 ballroom renovation this spring.

Mr. Wright and his wife Julie reside in St. Louis and have three children: John, Taylor and Maura.

For more than 10 years, Chef Gary Wigand has created exquisite cuisine at The American Club Resort, the Midwest’s only AAA Five-Diamond resort hotel, for several of the dining outlets at this Destination Kohler property.

Leaving his roots in Pittsburgh, Pa., Chef Wigand moved to the Midwest after graduating from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary Arts in 1995. Starting at The Immigrant Restaurant and later moving to the Wisconsin Room, Chef Wigand joined the kitchen at Whistling Straits Golf Course in 1998 to serve as Head Chef.

From the kitchen of Whistling Straits’ unique 13,000-sq. ft. Irish farmhouse-style clubhouse, Chef Wigand directs the production of creative dishes that incorporate the freshest local ingredients available, including herbs from the Whistling Straits garden. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at Whistling Straits along with banquet functions and al fresco food-and-beverage service on the terrace during the golf season. Under Chef Wigand’s leadership, Whistling Straits has been honored with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence each year since 2000.

Under Chef Wigand’s direction, the Whistling Straits culinary team has also provided an exemplary experience for multiple major golf tournaments and events, including the 2004 PGA Championship, 2007 U.S. Senior Open, the 2010 PGA Championship and the 2010 Champions Toast at Augusta. He has had the honor of cooking at the James Beard House in New York City and also serves as a national spokesperson for the Kitchens of Kohler. He has showcased his culinary talents for top PGA Tour golfers, past U.S. Presidents and other celebrities.

Whistling Straits Golf Course is also the future site of the 2015 PGA Championship and 2020 Ryder Cup.

In addition to overseeing the food-and-beverage operation both for day-to-day dining and special events at Whistling Straits, Chef Wigand enjoys spending time in The Demonstration Kitchen, located at The Shops at Woodlake Kohler, where he teaches guests about a variety of recipes, trends and styles of cooking. Chef Wigand has also shared his culinary expertise as a keynote speaker at his alma mater, highlighting how his education has helped him to perfect new and existing dishes throughout his career.

Chef Wigand was featured in a “Chef to Chef” profile in the January 2006 issue of Club & Resort Business.

For more than a decade, Chef Paul Smitala has provided his culinary expertise to The American Club Resort, the Midwest’s only AAA Five Diamond resort hotel that is operated by Destination Kohler in Kohler, Wis.

A native of the Midwest, Chef Smitala received his degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. After graduating with honors from the Culinary Institute of America, he joined The American Club Resort in 1996 as Banquet Chef. In that role, Chef Smitala designed new banquet menus and dishes for groups of up to 800, serving creative dishes with only the freshest ingredients.

In 1998, Chef Smitala was named Head Chef for Destination Kohler’s Blackwolf Run Golf Course. In this role he directs the operations of the Blackwolf Run Restaurant, which received Wine Spectator magazine’s Award of Excellence in 2010, continuing its streak of earning this honor every year since 2002.

The Blackwolf Run Restaurant overlooks the Sheboygan River and offers rustic charms with panoramic views of the club’s Pete Dye-designed championship golf courses for diners who can sit inside near the club’s huge fieldstone fireplace or, weather permitting, enjoy outdoor dining on the terrace overlooking the courses’ 18th greens. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with banquet, and has an innovative menu of hearty traditional fare, with specialties that include corn sausage chowder, soy-glazed Alaskan wild-caught salmon, honey-glazed smoked pork chops and a variety of flavorful steaks.??

In addition to his daily dining duties at Blackwolf Run, Chef Smitala has also directed the creation of culinary masterpieces for numerous large-scale events that have been held at the club and other Kohler properties, including the 1998 US Women’s Open, the 2004 PGA Championship, 2007 US Senior Open, and the 2010 PGA Championship. He was also involved with the 2010 Champions Toast at Augusta and will direct culinary operations for the upcoming 2012 US Women’s Open at Blackwolf Run.

Chef Smitala has also had the honor of cooking at the James Beard House twice in New York City, and serves as a national spokesperson for the Kitchens of Kohler. In 2008, he received the  Chef of the Year Salute to Excellence Award from the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, and in 2009, he earned the Milwaukee Area Technical College Civic Apprenticeship Award for his work in mentoring culinary students.

In addition to overseeing the food, beverage and special events at Blackwolf Run, Chef Smitala also spends time in The Demonstration Kitchen, located at The Shops at Woodlake Kohler, teaching guests about a variety of recipes, trends and styles of cooking.

Jerry Schreck has been Executive Chef at Merion Golf Club since 2001. During that time, Chef Schreck has helped the club host the USGA’s U.S. Amateur Championship in 2005 and the Walker Cup in 2009. In 2013, Merion will host the U.S. Open Championship for the first time since 1981.

Chef Schreck’s cooking style is regional American cuisine, with a major focus on local and seasonal foods.

Prior to joining Merion, Chef Schreck was Executive Chef and General Manager at The Terrace Restaurant at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pa., through his employment with Restaurant Associates Corporation of New York.  While with Restaurant Associates, he also assisted annually with the culinary arrangements for PGA Golf Championships, U.S. Open Golf and Tennis Championships, The Grammy Awards and Academy Award Governors Ball Dinners.

While with Restaurant Associates, Schreck was featured twice on The Food Network’s “Best of” series, and also on “Ready, Set, Cook.” He is also a three-time “National Mushroom Cook-off” champion.

Since 2005, Chef Schreck has written the monthly “Chef to Chef” Q&A interview column in Club & Resort Business magazine. His conversations with over 60 leading club and resort chefs from around the U.S. have been presented through this popular feature.

Chef Schreck has also served as Program Coordinator for Club & Resort Business’ annual “Chef to Chef” Conferences, beginning with the inaugural Conference in 2009 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, continuing in 2010 with the Conference in Palm Beach, Fla., and then again for the 2011 Conference at The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

Chef David Scalise joined the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in October 2008. In that role, he is responsible for directing the culinary operation for the resort’s six restaurants, as well as for three outlets at the property’s private Cabana Beach Club and for its banquet and catering operations.

Chef Scalise’s passion is for preparing locally grown food. He has forged a relationship with many area farmers to create a true “farm to fork” menu in the Sawgrass Marriott’s signature restaurant, The Augustine Grille.

(A profile of the food-and-beverage operation at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa appeared in the January 2011 issue of Club & Resort Business.)

Chef Scalise transferred to the Sawgrass Marriott from another property owned by Interstate Hotels & Resorts—the four-diamond Laguna Cliffs Resort and Spa in Dana Point, Calif., where he also served as Executive Chef. In total, Chef Scalise has spent 12 years with Interstate Hotels & Resorts, and he currently serves on the company’s Council of Chefs.

Prior to his time at Laguna Cliffs, Scalise was Executive Chef at the Radisson Resort and Spa Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Ariz., another Interstate property. While in Scottsdale, in addition to his role as the resort’s Executive Chef, he also served as a regional Executive Chef, responsible for 14 other hotels in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado.

A native of Columbia, Mo., Chef Scalise began his culinary career at the age of 15 as a dishwasher in a small Italian restaurant, and eventually moved up to become a line cook.  He then took a position at The Lodge of The Four Seasons Resort and Spa in Lake of the Ozarks, Mo., starting as the broiler chef in the four-star gourmet French dining room. He worked his way up through the positions of restaurant chef and banquet chef, and finally finished his ten-year stay at the Four Seasons as Executive Sous Chef.

Chef Scalise then moved to Wisconsin to spend four years at the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa in Lake Geneva, Wis., where he held the position of Executive Sous Chef, overseeing a staff of over 100 culinarians and five restaurants at the renowned, four-diamond property.

In all, Chef Scalise now has over 25 years of professional culinary experience. He is a member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, the societe mondiale du vin, and the American Culinary Federation.  He has won medals at many culinary competitions.

Chef Scalise now resides in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., with his wife, Kelly.

As an Associate Professor at the Hyde Park, N.Y. campus of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Francisco Migoya’s “classroom” is the Apple Pie Bakery- Café, where students are exposed to real-life café operations while serving up to 3,000 customers a day. Migoya has worked at the CIA since April 2005, and selected by his peers and superiors as the Institute’s “Faculty Member of the Year” for 2007.

Migoya is also the author of two pastry-related instructional books: “Frozen Desserts”, a technical book for students and professionals that encompasses all varieties of frozen desserts and includes discussion of ingredients, equipment, machinery and tools needed for their preparation and serving; and “The Modern Café”, which focuses on artisan breads, breakfast pastries, desserts, entremets, chocolates, confections, preserves, frozen desserts, beverages, and special-occasion and savory items. A third book by Migoya, “The Elements of Dessert,” has just been completed and is due for publication in April of 2012.

Prior to joining the CIA faculty, Migoya was an Executive Pastry Chef for the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. In this role he headed baking and pastry production for close to two years for The French Laundry, the world-renowned restaurant in Yountville, Calif. (north of San Francisco in the Napa Valley), as well as two other acclaimed Thomas Keller establishments, Bouchon Bakery and Bouchon Bistro.

In his career Migoya has also worked at a number of upscale restaurants in New York City, including as head pastry chef at Veritas and The River Café, and pastry sous-chef at Ilo.

Migoya received his culinary training in France on a full scholarship at the Lycee d’Hotellerie et de Tourisme in, Strasbourg, and then further refined his education through The Culinary Institute of America’s program in Mexico City, where he was born and raised. During his studies he also worked for free “wherever they would have me,” to get as much real-world, hands-on experience as possible, along with his formal training.

Fluent in Spanish, English and French, Migoya can also read and understand Italian.

Originally from Bellmore, N.Y., Michael Matarazzo is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.  After culinary school, he decided to continue his education at the world-renowned Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., where he successfully completed one of the nation’s most well-respected culinary apprenticeship programs.

In 2006, Chef Matarazzo was named Captain of The United States Regional Culinary Olympic Team to represent the U.S. in international competition.  In 2008, at the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany, Matarazzo’s team became the first U.S. Regional team to win the world championship, defeating 62 other teams from around the globe.  In total, Chef Matarazzo has earned 18 medals in national and international competitions, including nine gold medals.

Chef Matarazzo is currently the Executive Chef of the Bear Mountain Inn, part of the property in Bear Mountain State Park in Rye Brook, N.Y. that is managed by Guest Services, Inc. The property includes a recently renovated 24-room lodge, four
stone cottages with six bedrooms, and over 5,000 square feet of meeting, conference and event space at the
Overlook Lodge, Cliff House and Merry-Go-Round Pavilion.

Dating back to 1915 and listed on both the National and New York State Register of Historic Places, the historic Bear Mountain Inn is currently undergoing extensive renovation to bring it back to its original
splendor. At the completion of the renovations, the Inn will offer 15 luxury suites, a spa, a vintage restaurant, over
20,000 square feet of meeting and catering space, the Nineteen Fifteen Cafe, and the Bear Mountain Trading
Company.

In March 2010, Chef Matarazzo was named the Northeast Chef of the Year at the 2010 American Culinary Federation Northeast Regional Conference, held at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pa.  He then moved on to compete in August 2010 against three other regional winners at the 2010 ACF National Convention in Anaheim, Calif. Chef Matarazzo successfully emerged from that competition with the title of  USA’s Chef of The Year, giving him the right to compete in the 2011 Chef of the Americas competition in Canada.

Chef Matarazzo’s winning menu in the USA Chef of the Year competition included:

-    Six-Onion Soup with Braised Duck Leg and Parmesan Lace;
-    Pan-Seared Halibut with Sauce Provençal, Ragout of Roasted Corn, Leeks and Fennel, Sautéed Broccoli Rabe, Saffron Potatoes
-    Clam and Chorizo Croquette and Chive Beurre Blanc; and
-    Duo of Veal: Prosciutto-Wrapped Loin of Veal stuffed with Foie Gras, Creamed Cabbage, and Mushrooms, Braised Veal Sweetbreads, Sweet Pea Risotto, Crispy Sweetbreads, Sautéed Spinach, Summer Vegetables, and Sweetbread Jus.

“We are so proud of Chef Mike,” said Guest Services’ Executive Chef, Fred Raynaud, after Matarazzo earned the USA Chef of the Year honor. “His dedication to the
profession and commitment to culinary excellence is a model to us all.”

Barry Trice, Vice President of Guest
Services’ Hospitality Division,  added, “Chef Mike is a consummate professional, and has proven he is one of the
nation’s emerging culinary talents.”

Raised in Scottsdale, Ariz., Kingsbaker was immersed and intrigued by the golf and hospitality industry at a very young age.  He attended Oregon State University, majoring in management information systems, and receiving All-Pac-10 and All-American honors on the Beavers golf team from 1993-1997.

After a brief stint as an assistant golf coach for OSU’s women’s team, Kingsbaker’s foray into the sales and marketing arena began in 1998, as Assistant Director of Development for Oregon State’s athletic department. In that role, he oversaw fundraising and grass- roots marketing efforts for the school in the Portland, Ore. area.

In 2001, his passion for golf led Kingsbaker to take his sales and marketing knowledge to American Golf, where he oversaw membership sales for The Oregon Golf Club in West Linn.  He later served as a Lead Membership Director to establish sales and marketing best practices in the region for American Golf’s private club division.

In 2003, Kingsbaker returned to Arizona as Regional Director of Sales and Marketing for Troon Golf.  During his tenure at Troon, he was responsible for the design and implementation of sales and marketing strategies for the company’s resort properties in Mexico and the Caribbean, including new resort projects at Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic and the St. Regis Bahia Beach in Puerto Rico.  In this role, he worked directly with facility managers to develop operational sales strategies and tactics for all areas of revenue.

Kingsbaker returned to Oregon in 2009 to lead the sales and marketing efforts for Black Butte Ranch, an 1,800-acre, 1,251-home family vacation destination in Central Oregon featuring 36 holes of golf, two restaurants, overnight accommodations, spa and endless outdoor recreational opportunities. As part of this role he has worked with Dean Ecker, Executive Chef and Food & Beverage Director, and other Black Butte Ranch managers to direct the successful repositioning and expansion of the property’s food-and-beverage program (“Destination Dining,” Club & Resort Business, October 2010).

Kingsbaker and his wife, Deanna, now reside in Bend, Ore.

Chef Charles Kehrli graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America and received his certification as a Certified Executive Chef from the American Culinary Federation. He began his career as a Sous Chef at the Knoll West Country Club in Parsippany, N.J. and then transitioned to the Grand Hyatt New York, where he worked his way up to Executive Sous Chef.

After almost ten years at the Grand Hyatt, he accepted the position of Executive Chef at the Hyatt Regency Princeton in Princeton, N.J., where he became responsible for the culinary operations of a four-diamond, four-star, 386-room hotel. After successfully recreating the hotel’s restaurant and banquet operations, Chef Kehrli decided to join the food-and-beverage team at The Yale Club in 1994.

After arriving at The Yale Club, Chef Kehrli took responsibility for the complete revitalization of the club’s food-and-beverage department. Working with the Director of Food and Beverage, he helped to completely re-engineer and modernize the department while dramatically improving the quality, consistency, presentation, and reputation of the food for the club’s three a la carte restaurants and banquet facilities.

Today, Chef Kehrli designs gourmet banquet and a la carte menus for the club while overseeing all of its culinary operations. He consistently impresses the club’s nearly 11,000 members with creative and delicious menu items at events and dinners alike.  The Yale Club relies on Chef Kehrli’s background at upscale restaurants and hotels in New York City, combined with the club’s intimate settings in its 22-story Manhattan “clubhouse,” to provide a unique culinary experience for members and their guests.

Chef Kehrli also keeps The Yale Club involved with the community. He recently coordinated a special field trip for students from PS 91 in Brooklyn as a part of the Seeds in the Middle program. Students were able to visit the club, enjoy a cooking demonstration, and engage in a lesson about nutrition and healthy snacking.

(A profile of The Yale Club’s food-and-beverage operation appeared in the September 2010 issue of Club & Resort Business.)

Certified Master Chef Mark Erickson is Vice President—Dean of Culinary Education at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, N.Y. In this role, Erickson is responsible for all aspects of the college’s culinary programs, including degree programs, professional development, consulting, intellectual property development and conferences, as well as the college’s department dedicated to menu research and development. He also oversees the CIA’s branch campuses in St. Helena, Calif. and San Antonio, Texas.

Erickson is a frequent presenter at industry events and conferences, where he shares unique perspectives of the global food industry, drawing from both academic and practical experiences.

An honors graduate of the CIA class of 1977, Chef Erickson was Director of Culinary Education at the Hyde Park campus from 1988 to 1990. Prior to that, he held both faculty and department-head positions at the CIA. His career also includes serving as Chef Garde Manger of the Palace Hotel in Gstaad, Switzerland; Executive Sous Chef of the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.; Sous Chef of The Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Fla.; and Executive Chef of Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta, Ga.

He is also the founder and co-owner of Woodsmoke Provisions, located in Atlanta, a producer of smoked and value-added seafood products for wholesale, retail, and airline catering distribution.

A native of Alexandria, Minn., Chef Erickson was a member of the gold medal-winning United States Culinary Olympic Teams in 1980, 1984, and 1988, and part of the U.S. team that won the 1985 Culinary World Cup. He earned “Crystal Chef” honors by having the highest score in the ten-day Certified Master Chef examination administered by the American Culinary Federation in 1985.

Chef Erickson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Restaurant & Hotel Management from the University of New Haven, and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.