Interactive Culinary Experience

How has this idea enhanced your club's operation, etc.?

One of Executive Chef Rich Heimbuch’s favorite events is the one where he gets to put on a show! Over the years, BHYC’s cooking classes have grown from a theater style seating and watching, to an interactive and of course, delicious, dinner! Every couple of months, Chef Rich works with BHYC’s Director of Member Relations to come up with six themed recipes to transform into a small cookbook.

From there, the members attend the class where they can follow along in the book while Chef Rich teaches them his every step to preparing and cooking a delicious dinner. These events take place in the Ballroom, which means bringing the kitchen into a whole new venue. After the class, the members enjoy the appetizers, entree and dessert that they just learned to make.

This year, not only did Chef up his game with his cooking classes, but he offered new styles of cooking classes to gear towards children and even private parties. As a part of the Junior Entertainment program, twice this past summer children gathered in the Olson and Rogers Rooms where they experienced an exclusive, behind the scenes tour of the kitchen and it’s staff! After, they took their knowledge and applied it to some fun dishes like pizza and macaroni and cheese.

For the members who are looking for a private experience, they can book an event with our Catering Coordinator who will set them up in a private room. They’ll get their own private tour of the kitchen and then they learn and taste some of Chef Rich’s best dishes. The members can even work with Chef to create a custom menu to their liking!

How was this idea implemented, and what have been the club members' reactions?

These events are great for member-staff interaction. They can see how the food is made, what fresh ingredients are added to their dishes and and then take them home for themselves where they can recreate the dish.

They’re also great for bringing a little technology into a traditional Club. During the classes, the lessons are live-streaming up on a big screen making it easier for everyone to see and then recorded so if you can’t quite remember, you can watch it while you cook. If you’re missing the evening, log on to the website and watch it online!

The members love all the different types of culinary experiences we offer and enjoy being a part of the behind the scenes action.