Leadership Lounge

The countdown is on! The new decade dawns in just five days and while some may still be luxuriating in holiday stretchy pants, RCS is putting a bow on the year that was 2019 and gazing out at the horizon to see what new food and dining trends are set to emerge in 2020. Some currents of the past year, cauliflower crusts, meat alternatives, non-dairy “milks” and mindful consumption are still going strong. Many of those trends with a long shelf life seem likely to carry on into

"Food allergies are a potentially fatal medical condition that results in more than 200,000 emergency room visits a year." -Centers for Disease Control Given that statistic it might be surprising to learn that there is no national standardized approach or training requirements for kitchens in dealing with food allergies. Teaching cooks and servers about food preferences or dietary imperatives is a training component mostly left up to individual food and beverage leadership.

Everyone knows it’s there--somewhere. In the walk in. On the top-left shelf, or right, maybe midway above the milk and cheese, it’s always there: THE TRAY. Either a full or half-sized sheet pan, maybe even a couple of two-inch hotel pans, THE TRAY is where the dribs and drabs of old, once or sometimes even potentially necessary foodstuffs gather to get older. Comingling substances in various vessels from no longer legible or documented dates of origin, they gather in anticipa

In the busy, demanding world of a club chef, his or her interaction with house committees, food and beverage committees and even members in general can, in some instances, create great anxiety and even resentment. Some culinarians might be indignant or annoyed about suggestions or recommendations made in committee meetings about a club’s F&B program. “What do they know?” an overly stressed chef might ponder--Turns out, a lot. We think of long-tenured employees as possessing a

With the first week of summer now under our belts it seems like a good time to loosen up and get to cooking up some light and easy to prepare summertime eats. And wouldn’t you know, today just happens to be National Ceviche Day! But before we march ourselves to our local fishmonger and select a glisteningly fresh filet of snapper, bass, haddock, yellowtail, mackerel; or even shrimp, let’s take a deep dive into the vast world of this dish so vibrant, fresh, cool and zesty, wit

Earlier this month on May 6, the winners of the prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards for Best Chef and Best Restaurant categories were announced at a glitzy, glam gala in Chicago. Regional wins went to Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark of Parachute (Chicago), Tom Cunanan of Bad Saint (Washington, D.C.), Ann Kim of Young Joni (Minneapolis), Jody Williams and Rita Sodi of Via Carota (New York City), Tony Messina of Uni (Boston), Brady Williams of Canlis (Seattle), Vishwesh Bhat

The trend in club food and beverage to cultivate home-grown goods on club property has become anything but garden-variety. While a simple kitchen herb garden was once a nice little addition and talking point for a club’s F&B program, some chefs are taking on literal earth-shaking initiatives to create a buzz for fresh ingredients grown on the home turf. Not only are chefs helming scratch kitchens and tending vast raised-bed kitchen gardens producing dozens of varieties of fru

Red beans and crawfish and Sazerac, oh my! RCS ambled down south recently--way down south. To New Orleans along with a pack of chefs on a mission to become enlightened as to the state of all things club culinary. As became clear soon enough; when a warm welcome into this fraternal gathering was not realized, RCS lit out for some of the city’s most delicious destinations. Vibrant, humid and lively as ever with a massive amount of development and renovation going on, but with s

So long, February. The shortest month of the year is passing quickly, and guess what: in a few days, it’s time to take inventory! But didn’t we JUST take inventory a couple of weeks ago? “Yippee! It’s the end of the month and I can’t wait to do inventory!”-said no one, ever. Given a choice many of us in the industry would rather do just about anything else but take inventory. Whether your operation conducts daily, weekly or monthly inventory, the task always seems to loom lar

Fragrant essences and whiffs of roasting mustard-glazed pork; pepper-cured salmon resting in the smoker; cumin-scented lamb slowly turning on the rotisserie; warm maple-walnut gingerbread just emerging from the oven; and steaming pots of mulled cider ready to be paired with some fine proof of rum, these aromas, wafting through club kitchens this time of year herald the busiest weeks in hospitality. Boldly flavored dishes new and familiar rely on a knowing, trained hand to coa