 GOLF KITCHEN® UNVEILS FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND CULINARY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM Private Golf and Country Clubs Must Pass Rigorous Series of Protocols Stamford, Connecticut (Oct. 14, 2020) Golf Kitchen®—the only organization dedicated to identifying and showcasing the world's finest golf and country club culinary offerings—has launched an international certification program for club food and beverage teams, a way for the most sophisticated and advanced private clubs to distinguish themselves from their competition. The Golf Kitchen Certification of Culinary Excellence is based on a rigid set of criteria and a club's ability to produce an exemplary product, as evaluated by an independent review of the entire food and beverage operation, including but not limited to: - Environmental practices
- Tenure of staff
- Leadership and mentoring programs
- ServeSafe (food protection) certification
- Beverage programs
- Professional certifications
- Member/guest satisfaction ratings
"Private club members have no way of knowing when they're thinking of joining a club, or even when they're in the club, the quality and caliber of food," said Diana DeLucia, founder of Golf Kitchen who has amassed 10 years of experience reviewing and visiting private golf and country club kitchens. "This is the first time that a set of standards have been packaged into a certification program for culinary operations of golf and country clubs and will be the new benchmark for excellence." The evaluation criteria and process were created by an advisory board comprised of noted private club managers, chefs, and culinary consultants. As part of the process, clubs must complete and submit an application to be considered for certification, followed by an on-site evaluation and a series of interviews with the culinary team and management, when it is safe to do so. DeLucia believes that club dining rooms will become the "go-to" restaurants of the future, an observation made even more likely in the era of COVID. "With more younger people coming back to private clubs, in particular younger couples and families joining clubs and moving into golf communities, the club's culinary offerings are increasingly important," she said. The inaugural certified clubs include Sebonack Golf Club, Royal Poinciana Golf Club, Addison Reserve Golf Club, Richland Country Club, GlenArbor Golf Club, Liberty National Golf Club, Greenwich Country Club and Naples National Golf Club. For more information visit https://www.golfkitchen.com/certification.html or call (860) 406-1782. # # # About Golf Kitchen Golf Kitchen was founded in 2014 by Diana DeLucia, an internationally recognized culinary writer/photographer, to recognize private golf and country clubs for the quality of their culinary offerings. The Golf Kitchen portfolio includes a bi-annual magazine, books, special culinary events, and an annual program, the Golf Kitchen Culinary Excellence Awards. Media Contact Karen Moraghan Hunter Public Relations [email protected] (908) 963-6013 |