Chef at Glendale Country Club Competes for Chef of Year Honors
Thursday, August 24, 2006
BELLEVUE, Wash. (July 10, 2006) – Michael Salgado, executive chef at Glendale Country Club in Bellevue, was one of three finalists at the inaugural “Chef of the Year” competition held June 26 in Seattle. Sponsored by the Evergreen Chapter of the Club Managers Association of America, the event was created to showcase the talents of “some of the finest chefs in the area.”Contestants vied for a $3,000 scholarship to the Club Chef’s Institute at The Greenbrier’s renowned Culinary Arts Center in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. A panel of three culinary professionals judged the chefs’ creations using seven criteria.
Salgado, the chef at Glendale for 13 years, competed against Keith Cholewinski, executive chef at the Sunset Club in Seattle, and Daniel Green, executive chef at the Seattle Yacht Club. Green won the scholarship in what was described as a very close competition.
“All three chefs did a tremendous job, exhibiting impressive creativity and a truly professional demeanor under the glare of a spotlight” proclaimed Judy Donnelly, who moderated the event and conceived the idea of the competition. She is the scholarship chair for CMAA’s Evergreen Chapter and the executive manager at the Women’s University Club of Seattle, which hosted the competition.
Each chef was asked to prepare a plated appetizer and entrée in 20 minutes that “would impress his club’s membership at a price they would be willing to pay.” Judges scored the contestants on six equally weighted criteria: food handling, organization, culinary technique/execution, allocation of time/work flow, presentation/plate design, creativity and practicality, plus a seventh factor: taste (flavor and balance), which carried the most weight (up to 40% of the point total).
While all three chefs featured seafood in their entrees, Chef Mike took an exotic approach. He prepared a Moroccan-inspired monkfish on a bed of couscous as the entrée.
Salgado’s interest in food dates to his childhood. As a kindergartner, he created a cookbook for his mother, which she still has. His training and experience includes Westin Hotels, Morningside Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. (“The Playground of the Presidents’), and the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Idaho.
About Glendale
Glendale Country Club, established in the mid-1950s, is situated on a 148-acre site near the center of Bellevue. Along with an 18-hole championship golf course, the facilities include practice areas, a swimming pool and clubhouse with lounges, locker rooms, dining room and banquet areas.
About CMAA
The Club Managers Association of America (CMAA) is the professional association for managers at the country’s leading clubs. Its members can pursue development programs in nine core competency areas covering different aspects of club management and operations. CMAA has more than 5,000 members who manage more than 3,000 country, city, athletic, faculty, yacht, corporate and military clubs.
The Evergreen Chapter of CMAA (www.evergreencmaa.org), with around 100 members in Western Washington, was chartered in 1948.
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