From the Editor

He’s somewhat reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz — always orchestrating logistics, always in control, and, most often, in the background. Edgar Rosales is vice president of food and beverage for Club Resorts, and, most certainly, he was some type of magician in his role as director of the Fourth Annual Food & Wine Spectacular at The Homestead resort in Hot Springs,Virginia. It was through his magic that 10 chefs cooked a five-course meal (each course specially matched to a wine selection) in another chef’s kitchen for a festive finale dinner attended by 450 participants. Not one ego was bruised or plate broken, although at one point a batch of corn grits was missing in action. Chef Jimmy Sneed of The Frog and The Redneck, however, made a quick call to Richmond and no diner missed tasting his stunning preparation of this traditional Southern favorite.

Sneed and White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier (who used to work at The Homestead) have been the two regular invitees among the dozens of chefs participating in the annual Spectaculars. And, of course, Rosales credits much of the gastronomical gala’s success each year to longtime Homestead chef Albert Schnarwyler, who graciously shares his kitchen, his staff, and his good humor.

Rosales says that just inviting and confirming the individual chefs takes months. The “tricky part,” he adds, is coordinating a chef’s expertise and calendar to the schedule of cooking demonstrations and lineup of courses for the event’s meals. Rosales and Chef Albert’s staff make sure the chefs have all the ingredients for their recipes waiting for them. Then there’s the challenge of meshing the cuisine with the products of 30-something participating wineries.

“It’s like putting a puzzle together,” says Rosales, who learned much about the hospitality industry from his late father who was a well-known chef in California. Of course, now that Rosales is planning his fifth event (slated for April 16-18, 1999), he’s comfortable juggling the logistics. The ongoing challenge, he says, is to become more demanding of himself in continually striving to improve the quality of demonstrations and seminars. He recently attended the Aspen Food & Wine Festival, the grande dame of such events. And, yes, he did pick up a few secrets. But he’s not sharing them. Not until next April, at least.  

Patricia Baldwin
Editor In Chief  

P.S. At deadline, we received news of interest to Associate members. Club Corporation of America, an affiliate company of ClubCorp, and Golden Bear International Inc. have formed a joint venture to build three golf course products: Private golf and country clubs; upscale daily-fee golf courses; and “The Bear’s Best,” a series of daily-fee courses that will feature replications of Jack Nicklaus-designed golf holes. A letter of intent has been signed for the venture’s first project, The Golden Bear Golf Club at LionsGate in Overland Park, Kansas, near Kansas City. In addition, targeted metropolitan areas for the new courses include Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas, Orlando, Palm Springs, Phoenix, and San Antonio.