A Tradition of Care: How One Chef Sparked a Movement for POTS (part of the solution)

John Krall, Executive Chef at Manursing Island Club. 
Image courtesy POTS.

For more than three decades, Chef John Krall has been a steady force in Westchester's private club culinary world — a chef whose path was shaped not only by skill and opportunity, but by a deep, persistent desire to serve others. His journey to the executive chef role at the Manursing Island Club is a story of talent meeting purpose, but it’s his work beyond the club walls that reveals the heart of his leadership.

Inspired by the late Father Ned Murphy and the mission of POTS — Part of the Solution — Chef Krall helped ignite a partnership that united the Club Chefs of Westchester, transformed a simple idea into a beloved annual tradition, and has raised nearly half a million dollars for neighbors in need. In this conversation, he reflects on the winding path that led him to the kitchen, the mentors who shaped him, and the moment he realized that cooking could be a powerful act of dignity, community, and hope. ~Diana DeLucia

GK: Tell us how you started your career, the path you took, and how that eventually led to your work with the Westchester Club Chefs and POTS.

JK: After high school, I went straight into college, but I really didn't know what I wanted to do. I ended up earning three degrees — an associate's in criminal justice from SUNY Farmingdale, a bachelor's in psychology from SUNY Albany, and a second associate's in math and science from Westchester Community College. Through all of that, the one constant was cooking. Even during college, I always had a job in a restaurant.

By the time I was 20, I had become a banquet chef, handling major events — turning people's backyards into full kitchens and catering bar mitzvahs for 150 guests. I'll never forget one colleague who told me, "Kid, I don't know why you're going to college, but this is your calling.” Cooking came naturally. My mother was a great cook, and my three brothers and I grew up in a home where food was always part of our lives.

I also played college baseball, so every spring I'd leave whatever restaurant job I had, then pick up another one in the fall. In my fifth year, I worked full-time in a pizza place because I wanted to learn how to make pizza — that was one of my dreams.

After college, I spent two years working as a Physical Therapy Aide at Burke Rehabilitation in White Plains. I wanted to become a PT, so I went back to WCC to complete the prerequisites for grad school. But I never stopped cooking — summers, weekends, whenever I was home.

Around that time, my twin brother was working part-time at the Manursing Island Club. My older brother had worked there too, but I never had. I told him, "Get me a job in the snack bar — I need more hours while I'm going to grad school." I went in, and the chef liked me immediately. He said, "You seem to know what you're doing. Can you stay past the summer?" I told him I wasn't sure because I was also tutoring science at WCC, and he said, "Can you try to do both?" So, I did. That was 1993 — June at Manursing, September at WCC — and to this day, I still get a paycheck from both places.

In 2002, I became an adjunct professor at WCC. I teach one anatomy and physiology lab a week, and I've been doing that ever since. Most of my students have no idea I'm a chef. They ask if I'm teaching more classes next semester, and I tell them, "If you fail my class, you can come back. Otherwise, this is the only one I teach." Education is never wasted, and I'm grateful for that part of my career too.

After my first year, I worked under the chef for about three years. We needed a sous chef, and he didn't think I was ready, so he hired someone else. That person lasted two months. Then he asked if I wanted to go for the job. At that point, I was still on the graduate school waiting list. I said I'd think about it, but ultimately, I went for it. I had to cook for the position, and I got it. I didn't get into grad school, and I took that as a sign. At 28, it was time to commit to a career, and this was clearly the right path.

About a year and a half later, I went to talk to the chef about my future. He said, “Good, I want to talk to you too." Then he told me he had given his six-week notice and had recommended me for the executive chef position. I had to compete again — another cooking test, another board evaluation — but I got the job. I became Executive Chef of the Manursing Island Club in January 1998, and I've been there ever since.

POTS in 1982. Image courtesy of POTS. 

The Club Chefs of Westchester

GK: When did you join the Club Chefs of Westchester?

JK: I joined in 1999. From 2002 to 2006, I served on the board as treasurer, president, and later vice president. I also ran the educational trips for five or six years. We traveled all over the world, continuing our education through seminars and classes. Even before becoming a sous chef, I took several courses at the Culinary Institute of America to make sense of everything I had learned on the job.

Discovering POTS: A Calling Beyond the Kitchen

GK: You mentioned earlier that your connection to POTS began long before the Club Chefs became involved. Tell us how that relationship started.

JK: Before I got married and moved to Manhattan, I lived at Manursing Island Club in Rye, and during that time, I was a very active parishioner at Resurrection Parish. One of the founders of POTS, Father Ned Murphy, had a tremendous influence on me. Every year, he would come to the parish to speak about POTS, and he had this way of talking about service that stirred something inside you — like he was speaking directly to that part of you that wants to help and do more.

Father Murphy passed away in 2012, but after I joined the POTS board, I had the privilege of stepping into his role at one of the Masses — as recently as this past November. Father Ned used to preach once a year at all the Masses, emphasizing that POTS is a place built on respect and dignity. It's not just about providing a meal; it's about offering true dining experiences — tablecloths, a centerpiece, servers, and a sense of being cared for.

He would also highlight the many services POTS provided: free haircuts, a mailing address for people living on the street, showers, clothing, and a pantry. At one point, they even had doctors on-site. The organization kept expanding, and hearing all of that really tugs at your heart. It makes you ask yourself, what can I do to help more?

Volunteering and the Road to Board Membership

GK: Is that when you started volunteering?

JK: Yes. I was single at the time, so I began volunteering on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'd arrive at seven in the morning to carve turkeys and help in the kitchen. They quickly realized I knew what I was doing, so I taught other volunteers how to break down the turkeys properly, I helped with the stuffing and mashed potatoes, set the ovens to the right temperatures — the whole operation.

I did that for years. Another chef from our Club Chefs group, Mike Dolan — a very good friend — was also single then. He said, "I'd love to come help you." So, I brought him along. We could still spend the holidays with our families because we'd leave by 9:30 or 10. Volunteering in the morning became my way of giving back. I've always believed that, as human beings, we all have a desire to do more for those in need. For me, POTS was that "more.

Father Ned Murphy, Founder of POTS. 
Image courtesy of POTS. 

Joining the POTS Board

GK: How did that lead to your joining the board?

JK: The Chairman of the POTS Board, Donn Dolce — who was also a member of Manursing Island Club — approached me and said, "I want to make you a board member of POTS." I wasn't sure what that involved, but I met with him and the executive director at the time, Sister Mary Alice, for breakfast. His vision was to have a chef on the board who could help with dinners in the new building they were planning, organize events for major donors, support the staff, and bring real kitchen expertise as the organization expanded.

I joined the board in 2011 and have been a member ever since. I'll be stepping down this April, marking 15 years of service. It's been a wonderful experience.

The First Club Chefs x POTS Event (2012)

GK: When the Club Chefs of Westchester embraced the idea, how did that very first POTS event actually come together?

JK: In 2012, I pitched the idea in early summer, and our first official meeting took place in June. It was Maureen Sheehan, Development Director at POTS; Chef Mike Dolan; Chef Eddie Loayza; and me. Eddie offered to host the event at Hampshire Country Club, where he was the executive chef. We looked at our schedules and chose November.

Before that meeting, I had already presented the idea to the Club Chefs in May. The president at the time, Peter Haering, responded immediately: "Great idea — let's do it." All the chefs embraced it right away. We set the event for November 13, 2012. I reached out to all the chefs to confirm their dishes, brought in wine vendors, Longford's Ice Cream, and even arranged an ice carving. I still have all the records from that first event.

POTS' former Board Chair, Mark Miller.  
Image courtesy of POTS. 

Hurricane Sandy: A Test of Commitment

GK: That was the year Hurricane Sandy hit. How did you overcome that challenge?

JK: Two weeks before the event, Manursing Island Club was without power. Many clubs were in the same situation. Businesses were struggling. I had to go into an apartment on the club property and use a landline — the only thing that worked. No cell service, no electricity, I sat there calling chefs one by one: "We're still doing this. What's your dish? Here's the meeting time. What do you need from me?" Despite everything, we pulled it off. Two weeks after Sandy, we held the event — and it was a success. We raised close to $10,000, which was remarkable for a first-year event under those circumstances.

Board members like Mark Miller and Donn Dolce helped fill the room by reaching out to their contacts. The support from POTS and the Club Chefs was tremendous. From that moment on, we were off and running.

Growth, COVID, and the Return of the Event

GK: What happened in 2020?

JK: COVID shut us down that year. In 2021, people still weren't ready for a dine-around format, so we canceled again. But we came back in 2022 and continued through 2025. This year, we netted $50,000. Overall, we're approaching the half-million dollar mark across all the years.

Honorees Who Shaped the Event

GK: You've had some notable honorees over the years.

JK: One of the most special was Rusty Staub from the New York Mets. He ran his own food-related charity and was deeply committed to feeding the hungry. He was also very involved with POTS. Rusty was a hero of mine growing up — I'm a big Mets fan — so getting the chance to meet him, sit with him, discuss the menu, and cook alongside him was incredible.

When POTS opened the new building — I believe it was in 2011 — I did a donor dinner with Rusty and my friend Jerry Bourkney. That dinner was actually the original vision behind the idea of having a chef on the POTS board. Rusty later became an honoree at one of our events and helped raise even more money. Over the years, we've also honored Chef Peter Kelly, the Club Chefs of Westchester, and Baldor.

The former "Family Club" at POTS had Mothers in a healthy cooking lesson with John, while Fordham University Students tutored their children—image courtesy POTS. 

Baldor and the Power of Community Support

GK: Baldor has been a very active supporter; can you tell us more about that?

JK: From the very beginning, Baldor has been extraordinary. Sophie Bishop — now Sophie Grinnell — came to my office, saw the flyer for our first event, and asked if Baldor might help subsidize the food. She paused for a moment and said, "Would you consider making Baldor your only sponsor?" I had already reached out to others and hadn't heard back, so I agreed immediately. Since then, Baldor has been our primary food sponsor.

I'm extremely grateful to Hampshire Country Club owners and staff, the POTS team and the Baldor ownership and their employees- (Michele Barriceli-also an original and current Dine-Around organizer from Baldor)- and to all our original supporters and Chefs that have attended or supported the event every single year — Longford's Ice Cream, Pascal Coffee, Mary Grescak from Opici Family Distributing-(Wines), Bill McPharlin from CK. Mondavi & Family Wines and Executive Chefs like Lenny Phillips from Shenorock Shore Club, Lorcan O'Connell from Sunningdale Golf Club, Anibal Romero from Siwanoy Country Club, Austin Braswell from Blind Brook Country Club, Peter Haering from North Shore Country Club, Executive Sous Chef Nicole McGee from Old Oaks Country Club, and Dan Neuroth from the Bronxville Field Club. Most of the current Club Chefs of Westchester members volunteer every single year, and I am grateful to each one of them. 

It's remarkable to see that level of commitment to POTS and to the work we're doing together as an organization. “I am also grateful to the Club Managers and the Club Managers Foundation who have supported this event.” "Most importantly, thank you to my dear wife Kathleen for being at my side from the very first Club Chef's Dine- Around, and to both Kathleen and my daughter Annie for at times, sacrificing our family time together for our charity work, and for supporting and participating in the great work of POTS.”

In every chapter of Chef John's story, there is a thread of generosity — to his club, to his colleagues, and to the people served by POTS. His work reminds us that culinary excellence is not only measured in technique, but in compassion and commitment. The partnership he helped build has strengthened an entire community, and it's a privilege to help document that legacy for Golf Kitchen.
~Diana DeLucia.

"I have been so honored to work with John at POTS. He is always ready to help those around him with such kindness and grace. The Dine-Around is a wonderful event that exemplifies POTS' spirit: people coming together over a meal to create community and support one another. John, the Club Chefs of Westchester, Baldor, and the Hampshire Club have been so supportive over the years."

Christina Hanson
Executive Director
POTS 

"Along with my colleague at Baldor, Sophie Grinell, we embraced the idea of partnering with John and the Westchester Club Chefs to support POTS in 2012 and haven't looked back!  We have nurtured the relationship with POTS and the Club Chefs to make the Dine-Around a highlight of the year.  John's passion is infectious, and we were lucky to have our vendors' support in supplying the chefs and the event with wonderful ingredients.  I am lucky to work with John for the POTS event, as well as his club and other club-related events.  It is an honor to know him and to work alongside him."


Michele Barricelli
Business Development Manager
Baldor Specialty Foods

"John has been the catalyzing force behind our annual Dine-Around event, bringing together the area's finest club chefs to support and raise money for our mission.  He leads the effort in the same manner that he has contributed to POTS as a board member - with high degrees of warmth, compassion, grace, humility, and effectiveness."  

Keith Pagnani, 
Board Chair of POTS