John McGee, CCM, is the general manager and chief operating officer at Northwood Club, located in north Dallas. McGee knows the food business intimately, having come up through the ranks of the Marriott organization both as chef and then as a food and beverage director responsible for opening new hotels and their allied restaurant and catering business.
Now a fixture on the private club scene, McGee remains focused on food and beverage operations as a key to delivering member satisfaction and providing members with value for their monthly dues dollar. His recipe for success is simple, direct and effective. It starts with some basic guiding principles such as “do the little things great,” “guard food’s natural flavors” and “take care of the members.”
At the same time, McGee and his dining staff—including executive chef, Michael Scott, executive sous chef, Erin Salamon, and director of food and beverage, Brady McAlister—understand the fast-moving, dynamic world of food. This means staying current and relevant so as to stimulate and satisfy the members’ appetite for new foods and fresh approaches.
Northwood’s marvelous innovations and approach are revealed by the membership’s enthusiastic response. The club has a philosophy for food and the role it plays in club life. Northwood stresses the importance of remaining open to the many changes in the culinary world and a willingness to take risks to adopt them.
McGee talks easily and energetically about food. He is especially alert to how much interest and curiosity is out there when people come together at the club to share food and drink. He depends on staff and members to share their own food favorites and passions, and he often follows their lead. In this sense, diversity is clearly a real asset and drives innovation. He likes the balance he sees on his team: both male and female influences in the kitchen and diverse ethnic backgrounds bringing new ideas aboard that have frequently become club favorites.
Chef Michael Scott is a member of the World Master Chef Society and thus brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the kitchen, but Scott is just as adept on the dining room floor talking food and interacting with club members. Salamon, Northwood’s executive sous chef, is attuned to the rapid expansion of interest in food nutrition. She fully understands member concerns about gluten-free options and the special needs that may exist with respect to food allergies. Healthy and tasty food options for children are another sensibility that Salamon shares with many in the club—a current trend that has now gone mainstream at Northwood (see sidebar on kids food at poolside, page XX). And F&B manager, McAlister, helps assure that the front and back of the house run as one and plays a key role in establishing and expanding the club’s very popular Northwood Wine Society (see the sample menu).
But important food innovations are not the exclusive reserve of the managers. One valued staff member has tapped her own food traditions and signature recipes to find an appreciative market—first among the staff but now among the larger club membership. Her sampling program with street foods like small fish, brisket and chicken tacos has become wildly popular and its dishes are now club staples. She has had similar success with the fresh fruit waters that were being served out the back door of the halfway house to staff until members got in on the action.
The wider Northwood casts its net for innovation, the greater are its chances for breakthrough food options, explains McGee. Northwood does not chase food trends, but its deep and abiding interest keeps the club fully abreast of what’s going on in the larger food world. McGee talks matter-of-factly about his club’s embrace of such food fashions as small plates (see accompanying menu with its emphasis on shared plates), sushi and sashimi (the club is all-in with this style), and sous vide cooking. He sees value in keeping the ball moving when it comes to Northwood’s food program. Consistently excellent dining is the standard, but it should in no way be dull and boring—or entirely predictable. McGee stands with a line of chefs who “live on the edge of uncertainty,” who keep their eye on the culinary horizon not quite satisfied with the status quo, knowing the possibilities of food and its enjoyment are essentially inexhaustible.
McGee and his team’s eye for innovation also find inspiration by looking into the past. Out on the back nine in the old superintendent’s house buried among the old holiday decorations and glassware, McGee and Scott uncovered a dining service cart—a bit tarnished and dented—used many decades ago by the club. Both agreed that now might be the time to bring the cart back into service. The cart was shipped out to San Diego for some re-conditioning and then six months (and several thousands of dollars) it was officially re-commissioned. The cart has stirred a few old memories in its new home in the club’s recently designated wine room and is leading a renaissance of elegant adult dining featuring Scott’s inspired menu and a very fashionable return to tableside service.
Northwood Club’s Recipe for Innovation
Ingredients:
1. Know your suppliers
2. Never compromise on ingredients—require the freshest
3. Guard natural flavor
4. Tap staff’s creativity, food traditions and knowledge
5. Add chef’s knowledge of preparation and personal style of cooking (let them do what they do best!)
6. Cultivate subtle flavor contrasts (never too much in one direction)
Directions:
1. Garnish appropriately and serve with style
2. Be consistently creative
3. Make it fun
4. Listen
5. Take care of members but not afraid to be a step or two ahead of them
6. Liberally season with talk about the story behind the food and its preparation
Notes:
McGee advises that when you are finally attaining you very best, it might just be the best time to “start over” with new approaches and fresh innovations.
Sidebar 1:
“Do little things great”
Don’t get McGee started on breakfast. “Breakfast is too often taken for granted.” Where to begin? How about the humble egg? McGee is picky about egg size and has his eye more or less trained for the optimal dimensions: “Most are too small.” He has similarly strong convictions about the well-prepared hash brown: it should be hot and steamy—lovingly buttered and then toasted just so. Needless to say, breakfast is not taken for granted at Northwood Club, where it’s receiving added promotion, more energy and attentive service: “You want breakfast fried rice with that egg?”
Sidebar 2:
Kid’s Food at Northwood Club
Parents at clubs are increasingly concerned that their children eat healthy foods. Of course, as most parents also know, it’s one thing to offer your child nutritious options and another thing entirely for the child to enthusiastically consume them. For several seasons now vast quantities of healthy foods have been served and eaten poolside at Northwood Club. On a busy summer day, that may mean 300 covers for adults and about 200 meals and snacks for kids. McGee’s team has dispensed with the kid’s menu. They feed them with the Swimmer’s Buffet (value priced at $8.95). What children see (and eat) are items prepared and attractively presented that kids like to grab and go with. This includes finger foods, yogurts, fruits and vegetables—with the latter often on skewers and accompanied by ranch and hummus dips.
Club Trends Fall 2015