Newport Beach Country Club Magazine Winter 2020 | Page 19

From left: Christophe Laifa, Ryan Berry and Valentin Ortega, all of whom are front-of-house managers at Seahorse Grille
His recommendation? The short rib
poutine featuring Kennebec fries,
shredded short rib ragout, pepper
jack cheese sauce and crispy shallots.
QUALITY AND CONTROL
When it comes to running a dining
room, Laifa has learned to master
the skill quickly here at the club.
Since his start in early 2019, he has
faced his fair share of challenges, but
they have only helped him enhance
his work and provide a better dining
experience for members.
“We had two big events just three
months after I started at NBCC:
Easter and Mother’s Day,” Laifa
recalls, noting that nearly 1,000 peo-
ple attended the Easter event while
Mother’s Day saw about 800 guests.
“It’s a lot of people to feed in a small
period of time, and I remember
seeing a wave of members com-
ing through the door waiting to
be seated. Every staff member at
the club helped out to make sure
we were providing memorable
moments for our members.”
Before he faced the holidays last
spring, Laifa says a member survey
showed him what Seahorse Grille
needed to work on. “What came up
the most was that the dining room
N E WP O R T B E A CHCC .CO M
“WE ALWAYS GO OUT OF
OUR WAY TO ACCOMMODATE
MEMBER REQUESTS THAT
CAN SOMETIMES REQUIRE
A LITTLE EXTRA EFFORT AND A
CAN-DO ATTITUDE. OUR CULINARY
AND SERVICE TEAMS SHARE
SUCCESSES AND AREAS OF
IMPROVEMENT ON A DAILY BASIS.”
— GRAEME BLAIR
needed more attention to detail,” he
says, noting that member recogni-
tion, menu knowledge and team-
work were all subjects he wanted to
work on. “Now, when I have mem-
bers telling me, ‘The server knew my
name,’ this is my reward.”
Laifa and Blair have worked
together to develop a welcoming
atmosphere, showcasing both their
culinary expertise and their will-
ingness to help by recommending
meals so that diners can select the
ideal choices for their palates.
“The Seahorse team attempts to
blow up the old model of front- and
back-of-house,” Blair explains. “In
order to take care of our mem-
bers, we need to all be on the same
page and focused on each member
experience. We always go out of
our way to accommodate member
requests that can sometimes require
a little extra effort and a can-do
attitude. Our culinary and service
teams share successes and areas of
improvement on a daily basis.”
Other members of the front-
of-house team work together to
contribute to a common goal:
creating a professional and welcom-
ing atmosphere. Valentin Ortega
and Ryan Berry are among those
who bring their talents, unique
backgrounds and experiences to
the table in order to provide the
highest-quality customer service.
Ortega, a Mexico native, has been
with the club since 2007, and has
worked his way up to become the
dining room manager. “I’m work-
ing to be the best manager the club
has ever had, and take my team
to the next level in professional-
ism,” he says. “I enjoy coming to
work every day at Newport Beach
Country Club, and I’m proud to be
part of a great team.”
Meanwhile, Berry graduated with
a master’s degree in sports manage-
ment and he also holds a culinary
certificate from the now-closed
Laguna Culinary Arts Academy. He
often finds ways to unite these two
passions, including working as a
personal chef and caterer for NFL
athletes. This knowledge and exper-
tise allows him “to raise the level
of service for members and guests
throughout NBCC.”
With these expert employees and
enhanced practices in place, things
can only get better at Seahorse Grille.
NEWPORT BEACH COUNTRY CLUB MAGAZINE
19