 This special event was created in New Jersey by Edgewood Country Club's esteemed COO and General Manager Frank Benzakour "@fbenzakour" and Golf Kitchen's Editor in Chief Diana DeLucia. “@golfkitchen” This rare event features Guest Chefs from some of the most prestigious Golf and Country Clubs in the North East and Florida. Edgewood's own Executive Chef Anthony Villanueva will be our host Chef for the event and alongside him will be Executive Chefs and teams from Sebonack Golf Club, GlenArbor Golf Club, Westchester Country Club and Addison Reserve Country Club. Together we will learn about their club’s history and have the opportunity to taste their club’s cuisine at an exclusive, interactive sit-down dinner event complete with an opening party featuring three signature event cocktails, champagne, tapas, a tasting of oyster and vinegar mignonettes, and a carving station with Iberico Ham from Spain, a silent and live auction, awards presentation and a closing dessert party. EDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, (JULY 30TH, 2018) – Edgewood Country Club and Golf Kitchen Magazine announced ticket sales for the Inaugural Golf Kitchen | Edgewood Fine Dining Soirée and Golf Kitchen Culinary Excellence Awards Premiere which will take place October 4th, 2018. This rare event will feature a collaboration of specialty guest executive chefs from some of the most prestigious golf and country clubs in the North-East and Florida. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Golf Kitchen Magazine’s Diana DeLucia in creating the inaugural Golf Kitchen | Edgewood Fine Dining Soirée and Golf Kitchen Culinary Excellence Awards,” said Frank Benzakour, COO and General Manager at Edgewood Country Club .“This extravagant event is in a class of its own showcasing some of the very best cuisines the Golf Club industry offers.” Edgewood's own Executive Chef Anthony Villanueva is the event’s lead chef and host. He will be joined by culinary teams from the well-accredited Sebonack Golf Club, GlenArbor Golf Club, Westchester Country Club and Addison Reserve Country Club. Guests will have the opportunity to interact live with Executive Chefs during the Opening Party, the fine dining sit-down dinner which has been collaborated by the participating Executive Chefs, and during the closing dessert party. Additionally, the event and will include the first ever Golf Kitchen Culinary Excellence Award presentations, and a silent and live auction sponsored by Grand Stand Sports to benefit charity, recipient charity soon to be announced. “It has long been my dream to create and launch the Golf Kitchen Culinary Excellence Awards,” said Diana DeLucia, Editor in Chief of Golf Kitchen Magazine. “Edgewood is the perfect location and Golf Kitchen and Edgewood look forward to inviting members and guests to be a part of this momentous premiere as well as sharing the experience of this incredible collaboration of industry chefs.” For event information visit GolfKitchenEdgewood or call 201-666-1200 *Edgewood members receive a 25% discount Area Hotels Marriott Courtyard Montvale, 100 Chestnut Ridge Road, Montvale, New Jersey, 201-391-7700 Marriott Park Ridge, 300 Brae Boulevard, Park Ridge, New Jersey, 201-307-0800 Woodcliff Lake Hilton, 200 Tice Boulevard, Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, 201-391-3600 Pearl River Hilton, 500 Veteran Memorial Drive, Pearl River, New York, 845-735-9000 About Edgewood Country Club Edgewood Country Club is located at 449 River Vale Road in River Vale; N.J. Founded in 1956 on the grounds of two former pre-Revolutionary War farmsteads that were later converted into a country manor estate, Edgewood Country Club offers distinctive facilities in a warm, but sophisticated, setting. The club's jewel is an impeccably-maintained, 27-hole golf course, staffed by PGA-certified golf professionals. Other club features include six Har-Tru tennis courts, a comprehensive tennis instruction program for players of all ages, and the Club's famous Midway Bar & Grill. It also boasts one of New Jersey's largest heated swimming pools and a brand-new clubhouse and banquet facility which opened in May 2017 for both member and non-member dining and special events. The clubhouse and banquet facility, which offers fine dining and gracious service, is host to many events such as weddings, golf outings, banquets, bar/bat mitzvahs and other parties for up to 400 guests. The Club also features a state-of-the-art strength training & fitness facility for its members. For information about membership call Kyla Basso, Edgewood County Club vice president of membership sales, marketing and club operations, at 201-666-1200, extension 273. For information on events call Candice Timmerman, Edgewood Country Club event coordinator, and sales director, at 201-666-1200 extension 218. For more information about club membership, club amenities or entertaining options, visit EdgewoodNJ.com. About Golf Kitchen Founded in 2014 by CEO Diana DeLucia, an internationally recognized culinary writer/photographer, Golf Kitchen® is a unique portfolio of recipes, photos, and interviews from the kitchens and fairways of 16 illustrious golf destinations around the world. Diana initially introduced the concept in 2013 through her sold-out book Golf Club World, Behind the Gates. She launched the high class 500+ page "coffee table" collectible - Golf Kitchen – on November 10, 2016, featuring chefs from participating global Golf Kitchen® teams at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. This illustrious event joined the world of private club and resort chefs, recipes, and kitchens together with the history and stories of 16 high-end golf clubs and destinations around the world. In the fall of 2017, Golf Kitchen Magazine, a quarterly print magazine was launched and is approaching its first year and a second book is in production titled Golf Kitchen Americas. In April of 2018, Golf Kitchen and Punta Mita, Mexico held the Inaugural Golf Kitchen Punta Mita four-day Culinary Extravaganza and 2 Day Golf Kitchen Golf Tournament. www.golfkitchenpuntamita.com In addition to the book, magazine, and events, the Golf Kitchen® Community has recently emerged with significant digital and social media initiatives designed to capture the appetites of golfers, travelers, chefs, and food enthusiasts around the globe. For table bookings contact: Frank Benzakour: frank@edgewoodnj.com or call 201-666-1200 For sponsorship inquiries and media contact: Diana DeLucia: diana@golfkitchen.com or call 860-406-1782
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 Waking up early on Friday morning, 8th June 2018, I checked the morning news on my cell phone to learn that one of my past photographic subjects, Mr. Anthony Bourdain had taken his own life. I was then dispatched on a 48-hour journey of self-reflection. Pardon me if I am wrong, but I have perceived that a disproportionate number of people in arts and culture, authors, journalists, musicians, painters, designers and others, were doing the same.
Maybe Mr. Bourdain wanted to take the ultimate journey to the unknown, or perhaps he was hiding his true inner demons from the rest of the world and protecting everyone from the darkness that lived within him. When your career revolves around you being you, it takes on a unique perspective. You become your brand, becoming immersed in yourself as you are your career. It drives you! It becomes you! However, when you are away from that career, with your demons for companionship, you are ultimately stuck with that secret and perhaps shameful part of you, to wrestle, alone. You are inspiring others and have seemingly achieved so much, so how can you possibly be so unhappy? You believe you would be dismissed if you showed a pathetic, weak persona, and so you go about life doing anything to avoid facing your real self. This situation is a recipe for severe depression. You get into character more and more and spend less and less time with the real you, the persona that you loathe. Being a self-taught culinary and portrait photographer, designer and journalist, I have spent most of my adult life in some way or another, within the creative arts industry. One of the benefits of my career is that I have met, photographed, and interviewed hundreds of fellow artistic people from around the world. I love to do this, it drives me, I feel like I am doing something right, and I am in some small way making others feel appreciated and good about themselves. Unfortunately, the other side is intense, but it’s the only way you can be an artist. You must reach down deep into your thoughts, and you must have empathy for others to be able to see into their worlds. It becomes difficult to hold non-career-based conversations, you have become your career, and you have no idea how to share this inner side of yourself, especially when you despise it. Among many artists, there is an inexplicable feeling of losing the persona they have created should they expose the demons manifesting in their minds. Of course, it may or may not be true, but the risk, to the depressed artist, is not worth taking, so the anguish remains often hidden until it’s too late. Another misconception of being a successful artist is that others assume you have abundant love, wealth, success and beauty. A perception you intend to display - the value of your work. Often artists are struggling beyond belief to make their art known and seen. Social media has made it more accessible to a broader market, but it has many pitfalls and leads us further away from facing and slaying our inner beasts. What can you do to help your fellow human beings? - Try to be kind and patient, as you can never assume to comprehend the confusion within another’s mind. The brain is complicated, and the fuller the brain becomes, the less room there is to hide difficult issues under the rug. We often misconstrue outbursts of crying or displays of grief as anger or insanity, and likely we have all been there at one time or another, and we know that it's probably a cry for help, love, and compassion. - Don't assume another’s happiness or sadness; no one can be in another's head. Outward appearances are often very deceptive. - Finally, my last but not my least crucial point of view is that a great phenomenon is that human beings are not entirely treasured until death. Then, suddenly, there comes an outpouring of love that we regret not expressing. We have all seen this when Robin Williams, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain left this world. Think about that. Imagine being that alone and feeling that invisible. If we make an effort to take ourselves away from the harshness and ruthlessness of life and listen to each other, the world will be a better place. We should all be communicating our appreciation when possible, to those who have influenced our lives in positive ways, while they are alive!. That is where I am going to start, how about you? ~Diana DeLucia National Suicide Prevention Lifeline We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. 1-800-273-8255  Six years have passed since I last visited Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Lemont, Illinois. At that time Executive Chef Ricardo Marquez and Co-Executive Chef Jose Alcantar were serving a wide array of culinary options that blended the local Chicago food scene with their Mexican heritage. One of their goals was to support the local community and to buy locally produced produce if the quality was of a high standard. I sensed back then that Marquez and Alcantar had much bigger visions for the future of the dining scene at Cog Hill especially with health and wellness becoming an important focus in the golf industry as an entirety. Fast forward six years, I discover a 2000 square foot sustainable farm and apiary that has been built adjacent to the third hole of the Ravines course which in its first year supplied 2000 lbs. of produce to the kitchen, much to the delight of Marquez and Alcantar and to the hungry golfers! Much of this credit goes to Angelica Carmen, Sustainability Specialist and Chris Flick, Director of Grounds Operations who have become an on and off course sustainability tag team. ~ Diana DeLucia GK: Angelica, when did the vision for creating a sustainable farm at Cog Hill begin? Angelica: I was hired as Sustainability Specialist in January 2017 with the intention of working on developing environmental programs for Cog Hill outside of on-course management. I was coming from recent internships working on restaurant rooftop farms in Chicago like "Uncommon Ground" www.uncommonground.com as well as Loyola University Chicago’s Urban Agriculture program www.luc.edu/sustainability/initiatives/urban-agriculture/index.shtml working with their greenhouse, aquaponics systems, farmers market, etc. My heart is in the food system and it’s something that everyone can connect with. With sustainability boasting such a wide array of topics, Chris Flick and I discussed a lot of different projects to pursue. Developing a sustainable farm for the Club made the most sense in our opinion given my experience, our facility, and how many different facets of sustainability could be incorporated. Essentially, it was the perfect starting point for us towards “greening” Cog Hill with features like beekeeping, native pollinator spaces, composting, low-input local food production, and creating green space where there was otherwise gravel and weeds. Equally important is our goal of showing not just the creative innovation that can take place on a golf course, but also what everyday people can do at home to make a difference.  GK: How long did it take to build the farm and when were the first crops available? What were they? Angelica: The farm was built in the Spring of 2017 in the lot that once held parking for the BMW Championship. When I first began working on the farm, we had to start entirely from scratch as the lot itself had gone unused for some time. Physical work began as early as February, prepping out spaces for our solar greenhouse, storage shed, apiary, etc. Thankfully, our Grounds Crew is very talented and got us up and running in about one to two months with those facilities. The actual farm took another three months before we finally put crops in the ground, as we start everything from seed. The space, in general, is constantly evolving with new features and manicuring old ones. We have 17 raised beds covering roughly 2,000 square feet of growing space, all constructed from concrete cinder blocks. Within that space, we produced just over 2,000 lbs. of heirloom vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers from May-November of our first season. Our first crops available were quick-growing root vegetables and spring greens in late May that the kitchen was able to use in our seasonal salad bar. GK: Where did the name Fairway Farms originate? Angelica: After a lot of brainstorming, I pitched the name Fairway Farms & Apiary to Chris in July 2017. The name comes from the fact that the farm is located alongside the third hole on the Ravines Course and I found it extremely important to tie everything we do to the golf theme given how unique it is to produce food on a golf course. Additionally, our raw Wildflower Honey is named Hole in One Honey, and our locally brewed Cog Hill beer is named DubsDelight after our championship course Dubsdread.  GK: How involved was Chef Marquez and Alcantar in the creation of the farm? Angelica: Marquez and Alcantar assisted in the crop planning stage of the farm operation as his team would be the recipients of everything we produced. Our first year was exciting because we all knew it was very experimental in its infant stage, so everyone rolled with the punches very well. My goal for the farm was to blend unique varieties of standard crops to compliment dishes we were already serving on the menu that would punctuate these recipes with exceptional colors, flavors, and nutritional content to showcase the limitless options you have with food. Our first year was about understanding the land we were growing on, how much we could produce, and how those things blended with the kitchen’s routine. Now that we know our output capability, this year we’re working hard to ensure zero waste of everything grown by tailoring our crop list to what worked best last season for the chefs. Last season, Chef Ricardo estimated his team used about 85% of what was delivered by my team, with the rest of it returned to the compost bin for use back in the garden. GK: Chris, tell us more information about the on-course sustainability program from your perspective? Chris: On-course sustainability has been focused on finding solutions to maintain premium standards while reducing inputs regarding to synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and water usage. We've thoroughly investigated many products and have currently developed programs utilizing the Organic Materials Review Institute www.omri.org (OMRI) and natural bio stimulant materials such as seaweed extracts, vermicompost teas, nutrient-mining products, and mineral oils to suppress disease and combat abiotic and biotic stresses. We have reduced our usage of synthetic pesticides by nearly 60 percent on most of the property and we have drastically limited our use of granular fertilizers to reduce the potential for leaching. Water inputs have been cut to nearly half. In addition, we have transitioned nearly 100 acres of maintained rough areas to naturalized areas to enhance wildlife habitat and to reduce our usage of fossil fuels to maintain the areas. Agronomics aside, we are currently in the process of streamlining a property-wide recycling program. We also utilize recycled concrete aggregate to build cart paths on the golf course.  GK: Tell me about your experience working with Angelica with the off-course program. Chris: My experience working with Angelica has been exciting and refreshing, to say the least. What she's been able to do in a short amount of time regarding the implementation of ideas and the labor to construct the farm, apiary, and compost bins have been remarkable. Her vision for herself and sustainability venture we are undertaking far exceeds any vision that I had prior to her arrival. She has opened the eyes of so many people on staff and in the community and it's finally starting to attract positive attention. I feel like she's really getting traction and her ideas are starting to take flight, which I find extremely rewarding for us as a department. It's exciting that she can really take sustainability on these golf courses to a level that not many people could envision or expect. The quality of her produce including the vegetables, honey and beer, is an absolute reflection of her work ethic, dedication, and passion for what she does. GK: Angelica, tell us about the Cook County Farm Bureau's Farm Dinner that you are holding at the Farm. Angelica: The Farm Dinner is slated for Thursday, August 16th in the evening. Though we are still working on the details, there will be online ticket sales with reservations required. The dinner will take place on the farm grounds where guests will be seated among the farm beds and trellises of tomatoes and will include a quick cocktail hour tour of the site.  Golf Kitchen Punta Mita featured a collection of specialty guest executive chefs from some of the most prestigious international golf clubs and resorts as well as a two-day golf tournament on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses Bahia and Pacifico, recently ranked among Golf Digest’s “Top 100 World’s Greatest Courses.”
From April 26th to 29th, masterplan Punta Mita developer DINE, in collaboration with Golf Kitchen Magazine, hosted the first edition of Golf Kitchen Punta Mita. A four-day special event that created a unique experience that naturally combined the best of golf with top gastronomic experiences. Pato Pérsico, Punta Mita’s own executive Chef and host of this event, welcomed Guest Chefs from some of the most prestigious Golf Clubs and Resorts in Mexico and the USA: Doug Blair, Executive Chef of Cassique at Kiawah Island Club and their Sous Chef José Carles Fábregas, Chrissie Bennet, Executive Sous Chef of Winged Foot Golf Club, Joseph Klages, Executive Sous Chef from Sebonack Golf Club, Damian Gilchrist, Executive Chef of Sankaty Head Golf Club, Lalo Palazuelos, Executive Chef from Club de Golf Bosque Real, Gastón Yelicih, Executive Chef from Cantegrill Country Club and Eva Millán, Executive Chef from El Camaleón Mayakoba Golf Club. This amazing team of chefs proved their culinary skills throughout different gastronomic experiences that took place during these days. On Thursday April 26th, the guest chefs had the opportunity to represent their golf clubs at a four–hole tournament, an unexpected and friendly happening to honor the correlation between these two industries, a match worth watching and the perfect kick-off to this first edition of Golf Kitchen Punta Mita, with Doug Blair, Executive Chef at Cassique at Kiawah Island Club, South Carolina, USA, scoring his way to victory. Afterwards, Pato Pérsico alongside Damian Gilchrist, Joseph Klages, Lalo Palazuelos and Chrissie Bennett, hosted an exquisite opening dinner at the Residents Beach Club. The following day, the Bahia Golf Course was the perfect setting to begin the awaited tournament, offering amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and Banderas Bay and a challenging wavy-terrain which shows-off the players putting skills. Later on, guests were able to choose between two simultaneous dinners: Sufito, an oceanside restaurant at Sufi Ocean Club, welcomed Chef Gastón Yelichich, who created a delicious three-course Uruguayan menu. On the other hand, Jesús Durón, executive chef of the famous restaurant Carolina at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, was joined by Doug Blair to create a South-Carolina-meets-Mexico fusion menu. The second and last day of the tournament, the participants played at the Pacifico Golf Course, best known for its famous island green, “The Tale of the Whale” - the world’s only natural ocean island green, and congratulations go to: First Place, Dermott and Martina O’Flanagan; Second Place, Juan Carlos and David Rosales; Third Place, Fernando José Arrangoiz and Eduardo Palazuelos. The tournament ended with a delicious lunch at the 18th hole, offered by talented Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita chefs Esther Sánchez and Héctor Leyva, and guest chefs Eva Millán and Chrissie Bennett. The closing gala was celebrated at the Kupuri Beach Club, with an innovative concept in which Pato Pérsico, Lalo Palazuelos and Gastón Yelicich, born in Argentina, Mexico and Uruguay respectively, created a gastronomic tour of their countries with traditional dishes, transporting diners to a whole new flavor dimension. To wrap up the first Golf Kitchen Punta Mita, an exquisite Sunday Brunch took place at the unique Kupuri Beach Club. The well-known chefs Doug Blair, Damian Gilchrist and Joseph Klages offered the perfect mix between sweet and savory: the best way to start any given day and conclude this exceptional event that will be forever remembered. “We were thrilled to collaborate with the highly-respected Golf Kitchen Magazine’s Diana DeLucia in creating the inaugural Golf Kitchen Punta Mita Gastronomic Extravaganza,” said Carl Emberson, Director of Marketing and Operations at Punta Mita. “This extravagant event is in a class of its own in showcasing the very best cuisine the Golf Club industry offers.” “Punta Mita was a fabulous host to collaborate with on our third Golf Kitchen event and the first at at Punta Mita,” said Diana DeLucia, Editor in Chief of Golf Kitchen Magazine. “Carl Emberson had the brilliant idea to add a golf tournament which turned out to be as a big a hit as the culinary delights. Many special thanks to all the Golf Kitchen Chefs who worked tirelessly to make this a special event, it is all about celebrating you.” Thanks, in great part to our sponsors Riviera Nayarit Visitors and Convention Bureau, Las Marietas Punta Mita and Pambuck, bringing our community together in good spirits to enjoy unforgettable culinary experiences, carefully curated selections of fine wines and outstanding golfing in one of the most beautiful resort destinations in the world. About Punta Mita Punta Mita is an ultra-luxurious, 1,500-acre resort and residential community situated in the Riviera Nayarit, north of Puerto Vallarta. It lies on a private spear-shaped peninsula surrounded by white sand beaches, Pacific Ocean waters and lush tropical flora. Punta Mita is home to private villas and residences, two 5-Diamond rated Resort: The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort and Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, a Tennis Center, four Resident’s Beach Clubs, and two Jack Nicklaus Signature Championship Golf Courses. Pacifico Golf Course is best known for its famous island green, “The Tale of the Whale”. The world’s only natural ocean island green. The Bahia Golf Course in Punta Mita offers more slopes around the greens and heavy contours to create more movement on the fairways and greens. www.puntamita.com DINE, Mexico’s premier real estate development company, is the owner and developer of Punta Mita. DINE’s real estate portfolio includes commercial, residential and master planned communities throughout Mexico. DINE was founded in 1978 to serve the specific needs of the highest income sectors in Mexico, establishing unprecedented design quality in residential, commercial, leisure and corporate real estate development. www.dine.com.mx ##### MEDIA CONTACTS: Emma Perez Punta Mita Resort 329-291-6500 emma@puntamita.com Diana DeLucia Golf Kitchen Magazine 860 406 1782 diana@golfkitchen.com |
