scott pikey, Executive Chef at Mayacama Golf Club

Nestled in the hills of northern Sonoma County, California, not far from the charming town of Healdsburg, Mayacama is a private golf and residential community where a vibrant club life is joined by an active sporting life in an indescribably beautiful valley.  When I discovered this stunning property, I knew that the culinary team here had to be incredible as there is no shortage of outstanding restaurants in the region. 

Scott Pikey is an Executive Chef that is both a mathematical thinker, and a creative thinker. He has a deep desire to educate and uplift his kitchen team. With this collaboration of culinary ideas, and an abundance of outstanding organic produce in the region, he is able to continuously deliver menus that the members and guests at Mayacama continue to return for time and time again. ~ Diana DeLucia

GK: How did your interest in cooking arise?

I was born in the Midwest in St Louis, Missouri, to working-class parents with high values. I think it is part of the reason that I am where I'm at today. My parents taught me that I needed to have a passion for whatever I was going to do with my life.  

A lot of my buddies in St. Louis were cooking in clubs, and I was very interested. I don't know if this resonates or not, but my grandfather was a chef, and I remember when I was growing up, it was just something I took for granted, but now when I think about it, he had a significant influence on my life. I decided I would give this cooking thing a decent shot. 

GK: Where was your first position?

It was at Old Warson Country Club, which was a private, family orientated club with a premier golf course and a great dining program. The chef was Irish, and a Master Chef named Aidan Murphy. I asked Aidan if I could come in to do a stage at Old Warson. He agreed. I loved everything about the kitchen at Old Warson, the hard work, the camaraderie, and me being a Virgo, well, I believe its ingrained in me to be immersed with work and managing many moving parts. After a while, I sat down with Chef Murphy to tell him my thoughts on my future in the industry. He told me that I could go through the ACF (American Culinary Foundation) and do their apprenticeship program. He told me it would be a 3 ½ year program and that during that time, I will be a part of the United States Culinary Olympic Team. I will be expected to go to school and to compete throughout the Midwest and work six days a week. He said, "If you want to commit to this, I will take you on." I committed immediately without hesitation.

GK: Tell us about the Culinary Olympic team experience.

It was a fantastic experience, I mean, just the competition aspect of it, the dedication and drive it takes is phenomenal. You utilize the foundation of skills you are learning, which is very important when you are young.  I became immersed in the culinary world after that; I wanted to work in a Michelin Star Restaurant in France. It was in  the mid 1990's, which was a time that was challenging for Americans to go to France to stage in Michelin or Relais & Chateaux Restaurants. Still, I was determined I wanted to experience international cuisine. 

GK: Where did you go first?

I ended up moving to Ireland for seven months as I got a position at Sheen Falls Lodge in the town of Kenmare in County Kerry. I worked for trade, they housed me and fed me, and I worked in the kitchen to gain more experience. Ireland was fabulous; they are such hospitable people, friendly, kind, and funny. Sheen Falls was a hunting lodge at the time, and the kitchen was truly international, I met and worked with cooks from all over the world who speak different languages. There was no dominant nationality in that kitchen; it was diverse. After I got a feel for the Michelin and Relais & Chateaux experience, I wanted more, so I decided to travel Europe for the next five months to get more exposure. 

GK: When did you return to the United States? 

In 1998 I came back to the United States, and I spent some time in a little town called Telluride, which was a former Victorian mining town in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, to take a break and get my compass going. I had secured a position at the Peaks Resort and Spa, and they put me in charge of this little kitchen that wasn't being utilized. I turned it into a tapas-style situation. I loved the town, but it wasn't known for its culinary scene, more so the skiing. I got bored and made the move to Vail. I met Chef Thomas Salamunovich, who was partnering with Vail Resorts on a 10 000 square foot restaurant named Larkspur. I took the position as a cook and became immersed in a different more Californian style of cooking with a lot of vinegars and verjus, much lighter fare as opposed to the heavy sauces in Europe. After six months, I became the sous chef and stayed for three years. I loved the job and meeting all the chefs that came through there. 

There was one guy I really liked, his name was Richard Reddington who had worked for Daniel Boulud and Roland Passot for a long time and was currently the chef at Auberge du Soleil, which was Napa Valley's first fine-dining establishment. I believe it was founded in 1981 by visionary French restaurateur, Claude Rouas, and to this day has maintained its legacy as a "must experience" culinary destination.

After he left the restaurant, I had decided I wanted to work for Richard. I gave notice to Larkspur, traveled to California, and just showed up at Auberge de Soleil! Richard gave me the line cook position and then I was offered the sous chef position, where I stayed for two years. Towards the end of two years, I heard the CEO Rick Reiss mention they were opening a new place, Calistoga Ranch in Calistoga, CA. I told him that I would love to be a part of the opening team. He gave me the job, and I stayed for two years. 

After two years, Rick asked me if I would be interested in moving to South Carolina as the chef de cuisine for The Inn at Palmetto Bluff. It was exciting going to the south; there is so much indigenous cooking because they stay tied to their heritage, and the product I was working with was so cool. We were near the May River, and we were pulling out oysters, crabs, and shrimp, it was fantastic. We became the number one resort by Condé Nast in the two years I was there. 

GK: What took you back to California?

I was feeling the urge to return to California's wine country, and I found out that Mayacama Golf Club was looking for a chef. I flew to Cordillera Resort in Aspen, Colarado, which was owned by the same family to go for the interview. They interviewed many chefs, and I was asked to return for a second interview. They loved what I was cooking and gave me the position. Ironically the owners, the Wilhelm's, were from St. Louis, Missouri, and our families knew each other well. 

I was super excited when I started, there was a lot of work to be done, and as you know, I love managing things, and we turned the kitchen around from a food cost and quality perspective. We butchered our own products, and we began to utilize the entire product whether it was chicken, beef, or whatever. Being in Northern California, the resources like fish, and other proteins, cheeses, vegetables are abundant. I try to use the farms within a 100-mile radius of Mayacama. There is a great farmers market in the town of Marin, which became one of the third largest farmer's markets in California, and on Thursdays, it was a chef's market. The farmers selling their products there are so passionate about what they grow. I am so fortunate, and its one of the reasons I am still here, my food wouldn't look as good if it wasn't for these farmers. 

GK: Tell us about some of your favorite farmers. 

I love the product from Full Belly Farms, Riverdog Farms, and David Little, which are certified organic farms located in the beautiful Capay Valley of Northern California.  

GK: You are quite the farm to table chef then?

Farm to Table is so much an overused term; people have been doing it for generations; I prefer to look at myself as a responsible chef. I try to source products from farmers and fishermen who are producing or growing in an ethical fashion that is traceable and sustainable down the line. I need my menus to be fresh and healthy, and for the most part, I feed the membership here as protectively as I feed my family. I have been here for 12 ½ years now, which is crazy for a chef, and we have developed an incredible culinary program. 

GK: Tell us about your farm initiative at Mayacama?

We have a small farm here that sustains about 60% of our greens. Still, we have about an acre of land we could utilize to have a bigger growing footprint. I envision growing microgreens and edible flowers; we could hold farm to table events right there on the farm so guests can experience the intense flavors of product that is coming straight from a vine or the ground. There is such a massive difference in the smell and taste of the product picked and served almost immediately. 

GK: You have an excellent bee program, has it been affected by the fires? 

About five years ago, together with our superintendents, we installed our first colonies. The first year the yield was magnificent, but then the fires came and ripped through this valley. The hives remained, but the bees left. After several months they began to return, and we have stabilized them, and now have nine healthy colonies that provide us with honey for most of the year. It's rewarding to see other golf and country club properties installing hives across the world; it is a critical responsibility to be stewards of the land. 

GK: Tell us about some of the proteins you bring in from and other areas. I heard you have some favorites.  

I love Millbrook Venison, its probably the best I have ever had, and Akaushi (Japanese Red Cattle) beef which originated and evolved in Kumamoto, Japan, but is now available in Texas, and I love Snake River Farms in Idaho. Our poultry and squab and duck are all from California. Petaluma, at one time, was the capital of poultry in America.

GK: Tell us about your team?

The culinary side of Mayacama is a team effort. I believe in raising my team members up and I value their ideas and creativity. Collaboration brings about a more diverse menu and united team in the kitchen. 

GK: You are fortunate to work with 40 of the best vintners in Sonoma and Napa Valley. Does that influence your menu?

Actually no. The menu is created first, and then we challenge our wine director Jeff McCarthy to find the perfect pairing. 

.Mayacama Golf Club. Image courtesy Mayacama Golf Club.