Food & Beverage Director
Phone:
843.706.4633
Email:
[email protected]
I was born in Toms River, New Jersey, and grew up there through high school. I was very involved in sports growing up and have a wonderful relationship with my family. Family and friends are the most important thing to me and what I cherish. I grew up playing golf with my mom and dad and fell in love with the game, which I played competitively through college. After high school, we moved to Ocean City, Maryland, where my restaurant career truly started, and I received my first true taste of an industry that I truly love and enjoy each day.
It is the instant gratification that we, as managers, get from giving our guests (members) a wonderful experience that motivates me each day to come to work and get better. This is something that I have instilled in all of my thousands of employees over the years, encouraging them to strive for excellence every day when they walk through the door.
In "Hospitality," published in Palm Beach Illustrated, Terry Duffy (Publisher) discusses the profound impact of restaurant work on business skills and management philosophy. Highlighting the teachings from Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, Duffy values traits like promptness and team appreciation, which he considers essential for potential hires at the magazine.
The article emphasizes the critical role of front-of-house service in Palm Beach’s dining scene. During Duffy’s visit to Julian Gremaud's Pink Steak, my management skills were evident. Duffy notes, "Always the consummate host, Iggy makes each patron feel like their table is the only one in the place." Having previously enhanced the dining experience at City Cellar and now at Warren in Delray Beach, I was recognized for my ability to "welcome us in, pour our drinks, and cheerfully respond when I close the menu and ask, ‘So, what should I be having tonight?’" This underscores the significance of front-of-house teams in elevating the overall dining experience.
I attended Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA, from 1986-1990, and during this time, I worked in local restaurants as a server to help pay my way through college. I have always been a highly motivated individual with a great work ethic and found out very early in my work life that you get out what you put into work. To be early is to be on time, and to be on time is to be late has always been my belief, and I try to always have my staff believe in that philosophy. I will never ask any staff member to do something that I wouldn’t do myself, as I lead by example. I will always go above and beyond for my staff, which in turn, my staff does for our members. It is about hospitality, after all, and through over 35 years of my management experience, it is what my guests and friends have come to expect and receive from me and my staff.
Since moving to Florida in 1996, I have been involved with the opening of 14 restaurants, of which 8 of those were for Big Time Restaurant Group over 20 years working with them. I was an integral part of the training, menu development, design of FOH and BOH, hiring, and execution of daily operations. One of the most important beliefs I have is consistency, and that is something I demand from my staff daily. To be able to give our members a consistently wonderful experience is what the goal is and should be. I also like to push for new, fresh ideas to give to our members, whether it is with running different beverage programs, events, changing menus, etc. With change, though, there needs to be training, and that is something I feel I am very good at doing. Open communication and expectations are very important to me and my staff, which we also, in turn, give to our members.
I am looking forward to the new challenges that I will experience at Belfair and to improving any and all areas that are needed. I will work very hard to ensure that all of our members are seen and heard and will do my very best to improve each and every day. I will look for ways to elevate their experience and to be seen by them daily. I truly enjoy getting to know my guests and their families and becoming a part of their family.
