Addison Reserve Country Club, Florida (USA)
course my pastry team of four. It’s wonderful to
have so much support. GK: You are enjoying giving back through the non-
profit JARC, tell us about that.
GK: Tell us about working with General Manager
Michael McCarthy? One of our members here at Addison brought
JARC to our attention. “JARC” is a non-profit
organization whose mission is to enrich the
lives of people with disabilities through gentle
and loving support, valued relationships, and
engagement with the community with Jewish
values. The purpose of the JARC program is to
prepare its members for working in the field,
and Addison Reserve supports this program by
offering its kitchen as a learning environment.
I enjoy working with Michael. His dedication to the
club inspires the employees. He is very supportive
and wants us to keep innovating. He provides the
best equipment and product available, much that
the average restaurant would not have access to. I
love this!
Michael has an open door policy and is always
willing to chat and share ideas; he makes me feel
that I am part of the Addison family: I love my
second family!
GK: Tell us some of the challenges you faced when
adjusting?
I had to learn many Jewish desserts, I had never
worked in a predominantly Jewish club, and was
not exposed to those delights, but now after
a short hazing period [laughs], I have created
some favorites that the members love. I enjoy
testing out new recipes and creating desserts the
members enjoy. We have a great rapport, and they
will often share their desires or ideas with me, and
I, in turn, bring them to life.
We started working with them about six months
ago, and it is has been a success. They come to
the Addison pastry kitchen twice a week and
perform various tasks from peeling vegetables to
portioning cookie dough or making cake pops.
We work together from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm on
jobs that excite them. They enjoy it here, and I love
working with them; it’s very gratifying.
~ by Diana DeLucia
Editor in Chief, Golf Kitchen Magazine
Volume 4 • Issue 42
63