It all began with coffee. In the 1600s, an Englishman by the name of Edwards acquired a taste for coffee while traveling in Turkey. When he returned to London and introduced this new beverage to his friends, they so enjoyed coffee that they soon strained his hospitality. Sensing a business opportunity, Edwards opened a coffeehouse. Coffee was a penny; newspapers were free. The concept became an instant success.

Soon, various London coffeehouses (some historians say there were as many as 2,000) developed clienteles with similar interests. For example, White’s was frequented by young, wealthy gentlemen, who, around 1736, asked the owner to limit entrance to his coffeehouse to themselves and some compatible friends. They felt the quarters would be less crowded and they would have personalized attention. In return, each of them would pay a fee to the owner.

The private club had arrived — and copied wherever the British flag was flown. Beginning in Boston and Philadelphia, clubs expanded along with American cities. In the late 1800s, the large athletic club came onto the scene, followed by the country club. In 1892, the Country Club of Brookline, Massachusetts, authorized a $50 expenditure for a three-hole golf course. In 1894, the country club joined four others to form the U.S. Golf Association. By 1950, there were more than 8,000 city, athletic, and country clubs in the United States. And many country clubs were built as parts of large land development projects.

In 1957, Dallas attorney Robert Dedman recognized that clubs, governed by committees of volunteers, were run like "nobody’s business" because they were nobody’s business. An entrepreneur in every sense of the word, Dedman decided to make private clubs his business. So he organized Country Clubs Inc. (the forerunner of ClubCorp), with Brookhaven Country Club near Dallas as the company’s first club.

Fast forward to 1986 when ClubCorp owned and operated 147 U.S. clubs and resorts in 30 states and the District of Columbia and five international properties. The company also had created the Associate Club program to provide additional membership benefits — and it needed to talk to its members.

Enter Private Clubs magazine. In the premiere issue in March 1986, Richard S. Poole, chairman of Associate Clubs Publications Inc., wrote that the magazine was "for members only — about members and their clubs with articles we think will be of interest to members."

That philosophy has not changed over two decades of publication.

In marking the 20th anniversary of Private Clubs magazine, we’d like to continue our ongoing conversation about the "sense of belonging" that defines the private club experience. And we’d like to give you a look back and a view forward … and some fun in between.

RAY OLDENBURG
Pensacola, Florida
Urban sociologist. Author.

The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community.

After speaking at a restaurant industry meeting some years ago, Professor Ray Oldenburg shared a limo ride to the airport with an executive from the Seattle headquarters of Starbucks Coffee Co. The executive had arrived late to the conference and had missed Oldenburg’s earlier presentation. Nevertheless, the Starbucks exec was eager to have an audience to hear his views about how Starbucks exemplified "the third place" — that place where people gather other than work and home — a concept that had conference attendees buzzing.

"Didn’t you tell him who you were?" I asked Oldenburg increduously.

"Well, he introduced himself and he jumped right into that."

"Did you ever tell him who you were?" I persisted.

"No."

"Weren’t you impressed that Starbucks embraced your idea like that?" I continued.

"If you think about it, it’s a pretty simple idea."

Oldenburg, an urban sociologist of few words and understatement, first presented his theory of "the third place" in academic journals. In 1989, after eight years of toiling on a manuscript, he took his ideas about gathering places mainstream with the publication of The Great Good Place. On Dec. 24, 1989, The New York Times Book Review published a full-page review with a sidebar about Oldenburg, then a professor of sociology at the University of West Florida. The Times reviewer lauded Oldenburg’s lament that suburban sprawl had transformed the hour after work for community into the hour for commuting.

As he explains, "You don’t learn to like people like you used to."

Oldenburg says he learned to like people growing up in Henderson, Minnesota. Kids were warned to stay away from the river and not to go into the bank or a doctor’s office without an adult.

"Other than that, you had the run of the place," Oldenburg recalls.

His academic conclusion: You learned to hang out.

And, hanging out isn’t just for kids. Everyone needs a third place, separate from home and work. Yet, "progress" has made that more difficult, Oldenburg says.

"You’ve got your TV. You’ve got your remote. You go through it twice and you give up. You really would like to put on your hat, go out, walk to the corner, and have a beer or a cup of coffee with your friends. But, of course, there’s nothing there except private homes. That didn’t used to be the case. So you not only have to find a place, but you have to pick the time."

I asked Oldenburg to talk about his concept of the "home away from home" because it sounded so much like the philosophy behind a private club.

He wrote in an e-mail that, when I visited Pensacola, Florida, for our interview, he would show me the best place for "herfing." With a little research, I learned that the point of herfing is to enjoy fine cigars with others who share the passion. A "herf" can be held at any cigar-friendly place where cigar lovers gather.

Unfortunately, in mid-July 2005, Hurricane Dennis struck Pensacola, 10 months after the area was devastated by Hurricane Ivan. About two weeks later, Professor Oldenburg kept his promise, although the usually picturesque herfing spot under the grapevines in his backyard reflected the damage the storms had had on the community. The lawn chairs and table temporarily were stored inside — but he showed me his valued tantalus and cigar chest.

The sociologist cites many common motivations behind membership, whether the "club" is formalized — such as his lodge of the Elks — or like the bar in the television sitcom Cheers, where everybody knows your name.

"Good taverns, oh boy," Oldenburg recalls with nostalgia in his voice. When he was writing The Great Good Place, he visited the "tavern state" of Wisconsin and 78 different taverns in Superior. He fondly remembers one called Frankie’s. "It was Frankie and his regular customers, and it was just a wonderful place to visit," he says. "You’d have one drink, maybe two, and then go. You know, I don’t find those places anymore."

Of course, at 73, Oldenburg acknowledges that some of his habits have changed. ("I am probably asleep by seven o’clock.") But his enthusiasm continues strong for good gathering places where people find a sense of belonging.

"I focus on the camaraderie," Oldenburg says of his writing and consulting, "but you know you can get together for the contacts."

Not surprisingly, Oldenburg is an advocate of good old-fashioned conversation. He allows that he uses e-mail to "keep up," but rejects suggestions that the computer provides a third place. "No, oh no. I can’t believe that people are content with that."

Oldenburg is working hard to make the phrase "the third place" generic. And, if people will embrace his concept, his ego doesn’t require credit.

He remembers, "After the earthquake some years ago in California, a local television station was interviewing a business owner and asked if he was going to re-open. His response was, ‘We have to — we’re a third place.’ Once the term gets a life of its own, people don’t have to reference it."

Oldenburg’s catapult to fame, via The New York Times Book Review, brought a variety of opportunities to his Florida doorstep.

He is consulting with the Responsible Hospitality Institute in California, which he says is trying to recreate the café society. The group’s official mission is to facilitate cooperation "for safe and vibrant places to socialize." He also is helping various YMCAs to reposition themselves as third places. He notes, "In Houston, Orlando, and L.A., they’ve got this new vision, recognizing that they provide a community for a lot of people — people who want to be in a gathering place."

He’s talked to librarians in Vail, Colorado, civic leaders in Osaka, Japan, and university sociologists in Austria. He and his wife, Judith, once traveled to Pasadena, California, where he served as the grand marshal of the annual Doo Dah Parade, a campy spoof of the Rose Parade put on by the Light-Bringer Project, a nonprofit foundation that raises money to "transform the quality of life in communities by providing arts and cultural programs that promote creative enterprising, volunteerism, and community building."

Oldenburg says he would write another book if he got "real encouragement" or "got bored," but he doesn’t foresee that eventuality, given his current busy schedule. There are some topics, however, he did not address in The Great Good Place because of the publisher’s length constraint. In a revision, he says he would discuss the role of churches and libraries as third places. And he would have a chapter on the progress that he sees is being made.

In terms of a legacy, he’s not as interested in a "successor" as he is in "implementers."

He notes an exchange with a previous visitor: "The fellow who was sitting here two weeks ago, asked, ‘How would you like to be remembered?’ I said, ‘I don’t give a damn; I’m dead.’"

PETER DE SAVARY
British entrepreneur.
Founder, international golf and sporting clubs.

In the early 1980s, British businessman Peter de Savary owned three oil refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast. He lived in Houston and also on a ranch in the Texas Hill Country west of San Antonio, near the town of Utopia. "Blink your eyes and you’re through it," he recalls. "But I used to call a lot of people and I’d say ‘I’m in Utopia.’ And they’d say, ‘Stop kidding.’"

Telephone de Savary today and he’s still likely to be in utopia, albeit not a location determined by Texas geography. Known in Great Britain informally as the "king of clubs," de Savary has received numerous awards, including being named the English Tourism Personality of the Year in 1986. Over more than three decades, he has created, developed, bought, sold, and now owns numerous international lifestyle-oriented clubs and hospitality enterprises. He’s perhaps best known for his founding of the St. James’s clubs in Paris, Los Angeles, London, New York, and Antigua. In 1991, he transformed Skibo Castle, steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie’s Scottish Highlands home, into the Carnegie Club. His current leisure and lifestyle portfolio includes: the Abaco Club in the Bahamas; Carnegie Abbey in Newport, Rhode Island; Cherokee Plantation near Charleston, South Carolina; the London Outpost in London; and Bovey Castle, Sandy Park, and the White Hart in Devon, England. He says his next two objectives are clubs in Scotland and Tuscany.

Over the years, members at his various clubs have come from 59 countries. He credits part of his success to his innate ability to translate his business acumen into what he calls "a feel-good factor that’s like a magic plant." He’s been a student of hospitality since he started traveling at age 16.

During an interview at Bovey Castle in the heart of the Dartmoor National Park in England’s West Country, de Savary sat near the open door in the study — so the smoke from his ever-present cigar drifted outdoors — and he talked about his philosophy of private clubs.

Why did you decide to develop private clubs, not just hotels or resorts?
I decided in 1979, when I created my first residence club — the St. James’s Club in London — that you are restricted with a hotel. There is a limit to what you can do to make guests feel genuine loyalty and propriety. With a club, you can render a sense of belonging and attachment to the property and to the lifestyle. You can offer activities and benefits that don’t come naturally with a hotel, such as full-team competitions in golf, bridge, and tennis. You can have special evenings with speakers. You can give members a blazer badge or blazer buttons, a club scarf, or a nice lapel pin with the club logo. Members enjoy a club as a part of their lives, rather than just something they rushed through.

Also, with a club, you try to get a camaraderie of like-minded people. That makes a nice working environment and a more prideful one for the staff. It gives a better experience to the member; it gives them exclusivity. It’s rather nice to say, "Come and join me at my club." You get that intangible feeling you can’t quite put your finger on, but that leads you to say, "This is a great experience. This is something special."

And, personally, I enjoy the creativity of creating a club that has longevity and, hopefully, will last long after I’m gone.

From the St. James’s to Bovey Castle, are we seeing an evolution in your club concept?
I like to think, like a fine wine, it gets better with age.

Do you have a person in mind — your member — when you start a project?
My first priority is to create the place that is fitting of the environment, of the history of the structure, and the nature of the building. Secondly, I look at what I would like if I were (A) staying there with some friends, (B) staying there with my family, or (C) staying there on a business visit. Then, I try to think if there is anything new, anything I could add because the world is changing. I would like to think that, when people come to my establishments, they realize that each was created for them — that it is not just a formula.

Do you include your favorite things as amenities at your clubs?
I try to concentrate on everything equally, whether I do it or not.

I enjoy cigars. I know that there are a certain number of other people who do enjoy cigars, so I think we always try to have a good and interesting selection of cigars. We also realize that a lot of people hate any kind of smoking, including cigar smoking, so we naturally restrict the smoking to certain areas.

I don’t play golf and I don’t play tennis, but we put in a very nice Wimbledon lawn tennis court here. I was just talking to a father and a son who are enjoying it immensely — so we try to do the best we can at tennis. I don’t play golf, but we try very hard to provide a really good, playable, challenging, enjoyable golf course.

I like gardens. I like cigar smoking. I like boats and horses. We look at all these different amenities and we try to offer them to people at a very enjoyable level.

Earlier today, a staff member here at Bovey Castle referred to you as "PDS." I asked, "Do you call him that to his face?" and was told, "He calls himself that." So there’s no "mister, sir … " from your staff?
No, I am just "PDS," and I have been that for a long time. I find it sort of makes a level playing field.

That’s obviously an insight to your style. What else do you think distinguishes your approach to leadership?
I think most of my staff pretty well know that there’s no job that I ask them to do that I’m not capable of doing myself — and perfectly willing to do — from cleaning the toilet or the bath very thoroughly, or making a bed with hospital corners, or playing in the kitchen. … As they say, words are cheap; actions speak louder. So I very often find, by demonstrating a knowledge of something within this business, that I gain the respect from my staff. At the end of a day, it is a partnership, and hopefully, the members and guests will come, enjoy the experience, and sense that it’s very much a grassroots team effort.

And the team knows your vision?
They know it firsthand from me. When I go to the properties, I spend my time talking to everybody, from the people in the kitchen to the people on the golf course. I tell them to imagine that they have their best friends coming to stay for the weekend in their own homes. How would they treat them? As a young man, I was lucky to work for various people who taught me that the most important thing to do is to treat everybody the way you would like to be treated.

Some people would call that the Golden Rule.
Some people would. But it’s quite a difficult thing to accomplish in a place like this, with a wide-ranging staff of all sorts of backgrounds and cultures. So, it’s quite easy to sell it, but it’s not quite so easy to put it into practice. It takes years to learn which buttons to press to motivate different sorts of people. And the most junior person is as important as the most senior person in the team effort.

How do you view the future of private clubs?
I think there always will be private clubs. It is a very natural thing for like-minded people to share the enjoyment and the camaraderie that comes with golf or tennis or whatever it might be. That’s why clubs exist. I think it’s something that will actually become stronger as time goes by. People are more cosmopolitan today than they ever were. They are more mobile; they can get everywhere much more easily. People generally are more open minded about travel, and, as a result, have more experiences. This exposes them to all sorts of opportunities, many of which can be fully enjoyed at a club. So I think that clubs will stay.

I’ve read that you have had near-death experiences. In fact, had situations gone differently, perhaps you might not be sitting here. How have those experiences affected you?
I think because of those experiences, I don’t like to waste time. I like to get on with things, get it done. I truly appreciate that any day could be my last, so I make the most of every day — you know, get on with life. Play with your heart in it as long as you possibly can and do it on a day-to-day basis. Obviously, I make long-term plans and long-term arrangements, but if it is worth doing, just get on with it.

IT HAPPENED IN 1986
The World
• Spain and Portugal enter the European Community.
• In London, Prince Andrew marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey.

Business
• Dow Industrials open the year at 1,546 and close at 1,895.

Sports
• Chicago Bears win 46-10 over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.
• Louisville wins 72-69 over Duke in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
• Boston Celtics win 4 games to 2 over the Houston Rockets in the NBA finals.
• The New York Mets win Major League Baseball’s World Series, beating the Boston Red Sox in seven games.

More Winners
• Daytona 500: Geoff Bodine.
• Tour de France: Greg Lemond is the first winner from the United States.
• The Masters: Jack Nicklaus.
• Men’s Wimbledon Championships and the Men’s U.S. Open: Boris Becker.
• Women’s Wimbledon Championships and Women’s U.S. Open: Martina Navratilova.

Media
• NBC unveils its new Peacock logo.
• The Fox Broadcasting Co. becomes the United States’ fourth commercial broadcast television network.
• A.M. Chicago changes its name to The Oprah Winfrey Show and premieres on national television.

Americana
• The Statue of Liberty is showered with fireworks to celebrate her 100th birthday.

Cinema
• Platoon is a blockbuster movie and destined to become the year’s best motion picture.
• The feature film Aliens is released.
• Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise, is the top-grossing film.

Entertainment
• Nintendo releases The Legend of Zelda.
• Booksellers: The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy. Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy. Larry McMurtry wins the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Lonesome Dove.
• The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (among them, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and Little Richard).

FAVORITE RECIPES
A food writer looks back in time.

By Sidney Carlisle
Twenty years of food articles, a lot of recipes — I’m guessing at least 500. My job as food writer at Private Clubs is to work with club and resort chefs to determine the appropriate recipes, compile the story, and then test the recipes. This testing, conducted in a non-commercial, but well-equipped kitchen, helps to ensure that the chefs’ recipes will work when prepared by members.

Recipe testing can be entertaining. An ideal recipe is precise, contains an exact list of ingredients, complete mixing directions, specifications for pan sizes, and the proper amount of cooking or baking times. Not-so-perfect recipes can be missing part or nearly all of those components. Chefs are chefs, not food writers. A sense of humor helps when handling a recipe, as does an ability to read between the lines, or even to read very tiny, very bad handwriting. In this regard, many chefs could have been doctors.

Occasionally, a chef will provide a large recipe that must be broken down to yield four or six servings. If every ingredient will divide by two, three, or four, the recipe can eventually be downsized successfully. Some ingredients are complicated. Dividing an odd number of eggs for instance. One particular challenge comes to mind. A recipe for seven cakes needed to be reduced to just one cake. Thirty-six eggs will not divide by seven. I divided the eggs by weight and baked the cake. An obvious miscalculation required starting over. Twice.

Along the way, I encounter the same distractions and disasters that happen to anyone who cooks. The recipe says boil 10 minutes. The phone rings, I walk away, and it boils — all over the stove. Every recipe is timed, since cooking and baking times might differ from what the chef has indicated. Cakes stick to the pan, sauces break, and the chicken isn’t done in the time specified. I’ve dropped a cheesecake upside down on the floor, and burned an apricot filling beyond use. It’s all in a day’s work.

There is a big perk that goes with the job, however. I get to taste everything. And, of course, over the years I’ve saved my favorite recipes. These, which I treasure, stay close at hand, and are served to my family and friends. Here are my best of the best.

My all-time favorite is from Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas: Pan-Seared Salmon with Maple Curry Sugar and Honey Dijon Glaze. Executive chef Phil Bouza’s combination of curry and maple sugar seasons the fish without being overwhelming. The glaze complements the salmon without diluting the curry/sugar taste. The recipe is easy, elegant, and guaranteed to impress the most sophisticated palate.

Coconut Macaroon Cookies from The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, are unmatched in the cookie department. I discovered these macaroons by accident while interviewing former executive chef Albert Schnarwyler at the resort in 1999. Having filched a cookie from a tray in the pastry kitchen, I immediately wanted the recipe for the story. Executive pastry chef Michel Finel agreed to bake a new batch to be photographed the next day. "New batch" meant five dozen. The crew and I (a group of three) ate most of the cookie display, finally arranging a layout by using some extra raspberries and the five or six remaining macaroons.

A pasta recipe from an article about noodles should be on everyone’s list. Smoked Sausage and Sour Cream Alfredo is executive chef Bob Geller’s (formerly of the affiliate Indian Springs Country Club near Tulsa, Oklahoma) unusual twist on a classic recipe. Since I’m not a big fan of smoked sausage, I was surprised by this recipe. The chef’s combination of bow-tie pasta, heavy cream, sour cream, vegetables, and cheese is wonderful. With the addition of the sausage, the result is irresistible.

The Fairlane Club near Detroit shared its Sunburst Salad recipe in 2003 as part of a story on cheese. Crumbly Maytag Blue cheese is combined with spring mix greens, pieces of grilled chicken breast, berries, and mandarin oranges. This particular blue cheese has a distinctive taste that works well with fruit. Chef Mike Osinski’s Spiced Pecan Halves are used as a garnish. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a better salad.

The final recipe is Bing Cherry Crisp. Tim Durand, executive chef at Aspen Glen Club in Carbondale, Colorado, heats fresh cherries briefly in simple syrup mixed with spices. The hot fruit is sprinkled with an oatmeal/brown sugar/pecan topping and baked. The recipe serves six, and the chef serves it warm with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream. It is so good that my mother and I ate the entire crisp by ourselves. We did forgo the ice cream, but only because none was available.

It’s difficult to predict how food trends will change in the next 20 years. We’ve seen cream-based everything, low fat and no fat, fusion and tower food, and eaten our weight in chicken. Nutritionists keep changing the rules, ingredients from around the world are available over the Internet, and the chefs have imaginations that are downright scary. I can’t wait.

PAN-SEARED SALMON WITH MAPLE CURRY SUGAR AND HONEY DIJON GLAZE
("The Light Stuff," July/August 1999 issue, from executive chef Phil Bouza of Barton Creek Resort & Club)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a shallow baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside. Combine the maple sugar and curry powder in another shallow dish. Dredge the salmon in the mixture, coating the fish thoroughly.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet or sauté pan. When the pan is very hot, but not smoking, add the salmon. Sear each fillet on one side only until the sugar caramelizes, about 3 minutes. Seared side of the fillets will be dark brown.

Place the salmon in the prepared baking dish seared side down, and bake in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Do not overcook.

Serve immediately with Honey Dijon Glaze (see recipe) and crisp salad greens.

Yield: 2 servings.

NOTE: Maple sugar can be difficult to locate, but is available from sources such as the King Arthur Flour Baker’s Catalogue, 800-827-6836.

HONEY DIJON GLAZE

Combine the wine and tarragon in the pan used to sear the salmon. Bring to a boil and reduce by two-thirds. Add the honey and reduce by about half, until the glaze has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the mustard, and add pepper to taste. Serve over the salmon.

COCONUT MACAROON COOKIES
("In the Kitchen with Chef Albert," September/October 1999 issue, from executive pastry chef Michel Finel of The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place it inside another baking sheet. (The double pans will help the cookies bake properly.) Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the coconut, stirring thoroughly. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes to re-hydrate the coconut. In a bowl, combine the sugar and flour and set it aside.

Pour the coconut into a large mixing bowl. On the lowest mixing speed, add the egg whites, one at a time, followed by the cream of coconut, vanilla, and lemon extract. Gradually add the sugar and flour. The consistency of the dough will be very thick.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the batter is hot. Do not let it come to a boil.

The cookies may be shaped by hand or by using a pastry bag with a large star tip. To shape by hand, use two tablespoons to drop 1-1/2-inch mounds of dough onto the parchment paper. With slightly wet fingers, gently shape the cookies into rounds or pyramids. If using a pastry bag, shape into swirls with the star tip, placing the cookies about 1 inch apart on the baking sheet.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Leave the cookies on the parchment paper, on the pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from the paper and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Reheat the dough and repeat the shaping and baking directions until all the cookies are baked. Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The macaroons are best when prepared at least one day ahead. The flavor mellows and changes each day and the cookies will keep about a week if refrigerated.

Note: Unsweetened, dry coconut is available in two sizes in most large grocery stores, usually in the bulk foods area. Use the shredded size (tiny bits of coconut) rather than the large flaked coconut for this recipe.

Yield: 5 dozen small cookies.

BING CHERRY CRISP
("Summer’s Abundance," July/August 2002 issue, from executive chef Tim Durand of Aspen Glen Club in Carbondale, Colorado)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set it aside. Rinse the cherries and place on paper toweling to dry. Remove and discard the stems and cherry pits.

Whisk the cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and flour together in a saucepan. Add the Simple Syrup, stirring to combine. Heat until warm, but not boiling. Add the cherries, stirring gently. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the cherries are warm, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. The mixture should be slightly thickened but still juicy.

Pour the cherries in the baking dish and cover with the Crisp Topping. Bake about 20 minutes, until lightly browned and crispy.

SIMPLE SYRUP

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir until the sugar dissolves and then let the mixture come to a boil. Boil about 1 minute, remove from the heat and cool before using.

CRISP TOPPING

Place brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, and pecans or walnuts in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add butter to the mixture. Place the lid on the processor and pulse briefly, until mixed but still chunky. Do not overmix.

SMOKED SAUSAGE AND SOUR CREAM ALFREDO
("Oodles of Noodles," January/February 2000 issue, from executive chef Bob Geller at the affiliate Indian Springs Country Club in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place the sausages on the baking sheet and cook until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, drain on paper towels, and tent with foil to keep warm. While the sausages bake, bring water to a boil for the pasta. Add the farfalle and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid. Set the pasta aside.

Dissolve the bouillon cube in the pasta liquid. Combine the bouillon with the heavy cream in a large sauté pan. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste. Simmer the cream mixture until slightly thickened. Whisk in the sour cream and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if necessary.

Add the pasta, tomatoes, peas, and most of the green onions (reserving about 2 tablespoons for garnish) to the pan and toss to combine. Cook just until the pasta is hot, about 2 minutes, and divide into six warmed pasta bowls or plates. Slice the sausages crosswise into thin slices and top each bowl with an equal amount of sausage. Garnish with the reserved green onions and the remaining Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings.

SUNBURST SALAD
("Cheese, Please," March/April 2003 issue, from chef Mike Osinski of the Fairlane Club in Dearborn, Michigan)

Place the salad mix in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with the Balsamic Vinaigrette. Add the blueberries, raspberries, tomatoes, and cheese, tossing to mix well. Divide the salad among four chilled serving plates. Arrange the chicken and mandarin oranges on top of the salad. Garnish with the Spiced Pecan Halves. Drizzle each salad with additional dressing or serve on the side.

Yield: 4 servings.

BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

Using an emersion blender or hand mixer, combine the mustard, lemon juice, vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl. Blend well. With the mixer running, slowly add the olive oil to emulsify. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.

SPICED PECAN HALVES

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine the salt, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, coriander, and sugar in a small bowl. Whip the egg white until almost stiff. Add the dry ingredients, mixing well. Add the pecans, tossing until evenly coated. Spread the pecans out on the baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Store in an airtight container.

Photography by Colleen Duffley.