Dish March 2020 | Page 20

DISH MAGAZINE MARCH 2020 Niagara Frontier Golf Club board member Beverly Taibi and her sister, Kathy Ruggiero, chairperson of the club’s restaurant committee, are served a portion of Crispy Salmon from the new chef at the club, Mario Bianca. in 2019. He landed a job as executive chef at the Aloft Hotel in downtown Buffalo, and eventually made his way to the Niagara Frontier Golf Club, where he will serve both golf and dining members and offering catering to members and non-members alike. Sandonato says that the new dining membership idea came about as a way to offer more membership options that suit different lifestyles. “We wanted to offer something more so that more people can be introduced to the club and participate in the different happenings we offer,” he said. The dining membership, which requires a $50 enrollment fee and a mini- mum of $50 per month to be spent at the restaurant during the golf season, will give cardholders access to the pub and formal dining areas, which include pic- ture windows overlooking the beautiful golf course. Those with a dining member- ship at the Niagara Frontier GC can also dine at the Youngstown Yacht Club. The dining membership includes 20 admission to all social events which, ac- cording to board member Beverly Taibi, have been expanding as well. “We’ve been adding a lot more events to bring people in,” she said. “We have activities other than golf for people to enjoy, like Bocce ball tournaments and wine-tasting parties. Last summer, we started doing outdoor concerts on the patio.” “We’re growing our Frontier family,” she added. Beverly and her sister, Kathy Ruggi- ero, chairperson of the club’s restaurant committee, were both as delighted as I was about the delicious meal we shared, and believe Chef Mario will be a true change agent in the golf club kitchen. “Mario is an artist. We’re hoping he is here for the long haul. He wants to stay with us and establish himself in the area,” Beverly told me. “I think he’s going to be extremely popular once people start hearing about him and come out and try his food.” Chef Bianca will also be offering catering services throughout the year, for gatherings large and small. “When you like to cook, you like to cook everything,” he said, adding, “Pasta, meat, fish. I like to do it all.” His catering and dining menus can be found on the club’s website. Beyond the dining membership, there are a variety of golf memberships avail- able for golfers of all skill levels and ages. Niagara Frontier Golf Club was rated the Best Golf Course in New York State by Golf Advisor in 2016, according to Bev, who said that amenities include a practice facility with professionals who are available for private and group lessons as well as leagues for men and women. The 2020 season begins May 1. For more information and catering and dining menus, visit niagarafrontiergolfclub.com. VIDEO: Chef Bianca’s recipe for Brushetta Prosciutto and Fig is online at: NIAGARA-GAZETTE.COM AND LOCKPORTJOURNAL.COM.