Par excellence
By Mike Mitchelson

There was a time when the best fine dining was found almost exclusively in a posh hotel restaurant, or at an exclusive country club or golf club. Things have changed, and most quickly in the last two decades. The explosion in the number of independent restaurants and skilled chefs has both leveled and expanded the playing field, giving diners—and those same club members—many more options.

The executive chef position at those golf and country clubs hasn’t gotten any easier, either. Banquets have become the cash cow, so the chef needs to manage the fine-dining expectations of the dining room, while there’s a party for 200 taking place in the banquet room. FSN presents this month profiles of three chefs at three very different golf and country clubs.


Ron Bohnert

StoneRidge Golf Club is a newcomer on the Minnesota golf scene. The semi-private course opened in 2000, and its bent grass fairways and greens attracted golfers immediately. The club has 110 members, and a round for the public runs about $80. The club is also gaining a reputation for its culinary offerings, designed by Executive Chef Ron Bohnert.

“Some of our guests say it’s the hidden gem (in the St. Croix Valley area),” Bohnert said. “We have a great three-season porch and outdoor dining. …We run it as an upscale restaurant, and serve real nice, fresh food. I like to call it American bistro-type fare.”

The club also accommodates private parties, banquets and weddings. “For weddings, we’re pretty well booked every Friday and Saturday night through August of ’07,” he said. And his Sunday brunch is growing popular, with about 140 people loading plates each weekend, and 500 for the holiday brunches. “We could easily do 1,000 on the holidays. But I’m glad we don’t have the space—that’s a little too big.”

And Bohnert knows big. He worked for 23 years for Radisson hotels, beginning his career at the old Minneapolis Radisson and ending it with a 17-year run as the executive chef at the St. Paul Radisson. Along the way, he opened Radisson’s Ciboney resort in Jamaica. “That’s where I picked up my Caribbean-style cooking,” he said.

Compared to the hotel industry, StoneRidge’s greatest appeal is its scale, he said. “Instead of doing 28 different parties for 3,500 guests, there’ll be a banquet of 180. We can do things much nicer. People come here for their weddings because it’s exceptional food.”

He also has considerable freedom with his menu. “We sell golf memberships, not food and beverage memberships,” Bohnert said, which is a clear distinction from private courses. Members don’t have a monthly dining requirement, and therefore are less inclined to dictate the menu. Stone Ridge’s foodservice operation is, essentially, its own entity, and open to the public. That doesn’t mean Bohnert isn’t aware of members’ tastes, or what golfers want to eat before, after or during a round.

“The members always have an influence,” he said. For instance, the fare on “Men’s Night” usually consists of Kansas City steak, or bacon-wrapped filets. But many members inquire about sushi-grade fish, which gives Bohnert a large degree of latitude. “The members love to try new stuff,” he said. “There’s plenty of room for creativity. We brought in pheasant with cashew and thyme and it was very popular. …Eighty percent of our sales are our specials, and we offer a lot of fresh fish.” That includes his award-winning, pecan-crusted walleye with dried cherry maple pecan butter sauce. “Many have tried to imitate that, but they don’t succeed.”

Bohnert has excelled at competitions throughout his career, including, most recently, a second place finish out of 22 chefs at the National Taste of Elegance original pork recipe competition in Orlando, Fla. in May. “I thought that was quite an honor,” he said.

As coach of the St. Paul College Junior Culinary Team, he’s passing along his competition skills. “It’s a great challenge, and it takes dedication to compete,” he said. “I’ve done it a lot, and still, …the last 10 minutes I’m sweating just like anyone else.”

Bohnert said his position at StoneRidge is his “retirement job.” “The owners are great. They know I have other interests (at this point) in my life.”

Another interest almost led him to a different career, back when he was trying to decide on one. When he was 18, in the early 1970s, he bought a Harley Davidson motorcycle and went on a four-year road-trip. “When I got back, my buddy decided to go to a tech school for welding, and I decided to follow. He enrolled in that, but when the career counselor spoke with me, he asked what I was interested in. I told him about my foodservice background, and he said to try the chef program.”

And the rest, as they saying goes, is history. But he still can’t shake his taste for the open road. He owns four motorcycles, a 2005 Harley Davidson Road King, a 1972 Harley Electroglide, a 1965 BSA, and he recently purchased a custom-made pro street chopper. “My wife says I’m aspiring to have as many Harleys as I do culinary medals,” Bohnert joked.


Ferris Schiffer

The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis was founded 1898. It’s an exclusive, 900-member private club with an 18-hole golf course that’s hosted major tournaments—including a U.S. Open in 1916—tennis courts, a pool and other amenities. Ferris Schiffer has been the executive chef for 11 years, arriving in Minneapolis from the Stanford Court Hotel in San Francisco. He’s had a well-traveled career, which includes culinary training at the CIA in Hyde Park, New York, and cooking along the East Coast—all after a brief career teaching German in suburban Oklahoma.

He is well-known among chefs in town, and is deeply involved in their community. If Vincent Francoual at Vincent: A Restaurant, runs out of baguettes, Schiffer might get a call. The new Town Talk Diner needed eggs and French fries when they were swamped after a recent positive review, Schiffer loaned the chef what he needed. And when Schiffer’s heavy-duty plastic wrap supply ran dry as a banquet approached, he called Interlachen Golf Club’s kitchen. “We help each other out; we’re all in it together,” Schiffer said.

Still, to the dining public, he’s unknown. Want to sample his food? Sorry, you’ve got to be a member, or one of their guests. And he’s fine without the attention his well-known friends earn. “I don’t have an ego; I work in a sphere of anonymity,” he said. “I’m known by my friends. Those friends can exhibit that (ego) quality. But their names are on the restaurants, so I give them that. I still have to work very hard. And I need all the same things: competent serving staff, cooks, etcetera. And all of them work extremely hard.”

Schiffer said he’s lucky, because his membership has diverse tastes and equally diverse friends, who they often bring to the club for a fine-dining experience. For instance, he might cook a dinner for a group of French wine makers who are guests of one of the members. “It’s flattering to have these people here,” he said.

He doesn’t always have to impress, however. He also provides a bar menu and traditional entrees, such as a shore lunch, twice-baked potatoes and a steak filet. But those are always complimented with specials like grilled lamb tenderloin, sautéed veal scaloppini and crusted halibut. “My goal is menu diversity,” he said. “I need to see these people regularly. I need to be the Champps some nights; I need to have something for the children. …I look at the reservations for whoever’s here, and I know I’m going to have to have something for them. Because if they’re unhappy with the meal, they’re going to let me know, and they’re going to come back next week and it can’t happen again. It’s their right, they’re paying the money to be accommodated.”

Schiffer led the way through the kitchen, checking a row of clipboards hanging from a shelf. In addition to the dining room traffic, there was a wedding Saturday night for 180, plus two small private parties for dining. The next day was an LPGA event. There was a banquet for 137 on Tuesday, and for 200 on Wednesday.

He also was preparing to cook a meal for Francoual and Roger Johnsson, the former Aquavit chef and co-owner of A Rebours, on the weekend—the two top chefs were a member’s guests. “I have the oxtail, I have the foie gras, I have everything on hand to cook well. Then when I go see my friends, they treat me well, too,” he said with a grin. “The club supports me, and gets me what I need. I’m fortunate to have the kitchen that I do. A restaurant needs as much area as they can get to generate revenue. I don’t have to worry about that.”

With his varied experience in the kitchen and life, Schiffer hasn’t arrived at any particular philosophy behind his cooking. “Most of them are just clichés,” he said. “Most are a matter of passion and labor.” Instead, he offered an example. “One of the best things to share with friends is ravioli. It’s a pain in the ass (to make), but it’s nice. …You have to love what you’re doing, you have to be passionate.”


Justin Given

Burl Oaks Golf Club in Minnetrista has morphed from a nine-hole, semi-private, knock-around club in the early 1970s to a meticulously groomed, private 18-hole championship course with 340 members. As the course has changed, so did the amenities available to its members, including high-quality dining options.

Since the 26-year-old Justin Given took over last September as executive chef, he’s aiming to make Burl Oaks known for more than just the golf. Given is pushing club directors to offer a “social membership” with an inexpensive initiation fee to allow potential diners in the area (the club is located about 30 miles west of Minneapolis) to eat at the club without becoming full club members. “There are really no good restaurants out here,” he said, and he thinks the club could capitalize on that.

Burl Oaks, like others, has an extensive banquet, private party and wedding schedule, in addition to the regular dining. There’s often 60 to 70 eating in the member dining room, and a banquet (their capacity is 168) in the opposite side of the clubhouse on the same night, he said.

And, like other private and semi-private clubs, Given’s menu runs the gamut. “Half the members want burgers and chicken sandwiches, and the other half wants fine dining.” Given does his best to provide both, with the popular “Burl Burger,” an Angus patty with cheddar and applewood smoked bacon, to the “duo of duck” plate, pan-seared duck breast and leg confit, served with wild rice risotto and basil orange compote. “I keep tweaking it to make everyone happy.”

Despite his relatively young age, Given is sure he wants to remain in the golf and country club environment. His restaurant experience lasted about a year as a sous chef at a busy Excelsior restaurant. “I got pretty burnt out,” Given said. “It was a really small kitchen, it just wasn’t the right spot for me.”

A sewage incident might have had something to do with it, too. During the height of the weekend rush at the restaurant, a broken sewer line caused raw sewage to back up through the kitchen’s floor drains, rise to several inches, and begin emptying into the dining room. “When we were cleaning up raw sewage, I began doubting (my career path) a little bit,” he said, laughing. “But, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gottta do. I think I lasted about a month after that.”

Prior to that job, he worked at Hazeltine National Golf Club for about two and a half years, beginning as an intern after culinary school at Hennepin Technical College. He was working at the 7500 York Cooperative independent senior living facility in Edina when a sous chef position became available at Burl Oaks. “The executive chef left last September, and I took over,” Given said. “I love being in a private (club) setting; I know the members personally, and it sounds cliché, but everyone working here is like family.”

There’s a close relationship between a chef and the club members, and Given sees those special requests as creative opportunity. “One member asked me what I could do for a pig roast,” Given recalled. “His father-in-law lives in Texas, and wanted to do it right, a Texas-style barbecue up here. …There’s a lot of freedom here. Money is a concern, of course, but you do have a lot more things to play with.”

And while the hours are long—60-70 hours per week during the summer—Given still tries to swing the clubs once a week. “It’s important to get out there with the members and talk to them about the course,” he said.

At this early stage in his career, Given said he might be interested in working at a larger club if an opportunity arose. But he’s in no rush to leave Burl Oaks. “Right now, I’m happy where I’m at,” he said. “It’s a solid crew, everyone here is like family, and I like it here.”


Charred pork belly and shrimp gumbo
Chef Ron Bohnert, StoneRidge Golf Club
Serves 15

Brown roux
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup butter
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

In a heavy skillet, heat oil and butter over high heat until hot. Remove from heat and carefully whisk in flour. Cook until roux is dark brown.

Pork belly
2 pound lean pork belly
1 cup maple syrup
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons sambal chile paste
½ cup sherry
½ ounce fresh thyme sprigs
6 garlic cloves, crushed

Mix all ingredients in bowl except pork belly. Place pork belly in deep pan and cover with marinade. Refrigerate for 24 hours, turning every six to eight hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat wood-fired grill for high heat. Remove pork from brine. Discard brine. Place on grill and char on both sides. Remove from grill and place in roasting pan with rack and cook to internal temperature of 160 degrees. Remove and let coo. Scrape off any excess fat and cut pork into half-inch cubes for gumbo.

Gumbo
2 ounces butter
2 cups medium dice yellow onions
1 cup medium dice red bell pepper
1 cup medium dice green bell pepper
1 cup medium dice celery
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced Serrano pepper
1 pound andouille smoked sausage, cut into half-inch pieces
½ cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons Cajun spice (Five Star brand)
1 tablespoon ground thyme
1 tablespoon ground oregano
½ gallon rich pork stock
2 pounds charred pork belly (from above recipe)
1 pound shrimp (21-25 ct., no tail)
1 tablespoon gumbo file powder

In five-quart heavy-bottomed stock pot, on medium-high heat, add butter, garlic, Serrano, sausage and vegetables. Stir until hot. Add tomato paste and spices except file powder. Continue stirring. Add pork stock and bring to simmer. Bled in brown roux to desired thickness. Continue simmering 8-10 minutes, add shrimp and charred pork belly. Cook until shrimp is cooked through. Adjust flavor and fold in file powder right before serving. Enjoy!


Seared sea scallops with asparagus couscous
and red pepper jus
Chef Ferris Schiffer, Minikahda Club
Serves 4

Asparagus couscous:
10 ounces or 2 cups couscous (instant)
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 Bay leaf
2 teaspoons saffron, chopped fine

Garnish:
3/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced 1⁄4-inch
1/2 cup scallions, thin bias cut
1 cup asparagus, blanched, shocked and thin bias cut
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup currants
1/4 cup mint, chopped
1/4 cup thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped, rinsed and squeezed

Combine ingredients in first group except couscous. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and stir in couscous.

Allow to set 3-5 minutes, covered. Spread on a sheet pan and cool at room temperature. After 10 minutes stir with a fork, then refrigerate. Remove bay leaf. Combine the ingredients in the second group with the cooled couscous. Adjust seasoning if necessary, reserve.

Red pepper jus
6 ea. red peppers, juiced
6 ea. or 3/4 cup shallots, minced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup rice vinegar
Salt and Pepper (or piment d’espelette) to taste
2 ounces pure olive oil

Sweat in olive oil (with no color) the shallots and garlic. Add wine and vinegar. Reduce by half. Add pepper juice and reduce by half. Puree and strain through fine mesh. Adjust seasoning, reserve.

For the scallops, four portions:
12 scallops (U-10s)
Salt and pepper
Wondra flour
Canola oil

Season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat sauté pan and oil until hot. Dust scallops on one side with flour and place in pan and immediately place in oven to finish cooking.

Service:
Reheat couscous via sauce pot, with little amount of stock, or microwave. Place on plate, arrange scallops on couscous and pour jus around. Enjoy.


Fruit in the clouds
Chef Justin Given, Burl Oaks Golf Club
Serves 8

Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons almond extract or Amoretto
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup whipped cream

Let cream cheese sit in a mixing bowl at room temperature until softened. Add sugar and extract (or Amoretto) and whip together. In a separate bowl, whip one cup of cream until firm. Combine whipped cream with cream cheese mixture.

Scoop mixture into eight dollops onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread each dollop until they are about a half-inch thick, and make indent in which to place fresh fruit. Place in freezer until firm.

For the fruit, use either fresh strawberries marinated in Grand Marnier, or fresh berries.