New chef hired at ES Yacht & Country Club

By Bill Sterling

Gary Glaser’s well-traveled, 30-plus-year path to becoming the new chef at Eastern Shore Yacht & Country Club includes several stints at fine dining establishments, resorts, country clubs, and beach hangouts, so he’s excited to be part of a family again where he gets to interact with members and receive feedback on his food offerings.

“Being at a country club is like being part of a family,” said Glaser, who turned 59 on the day the club held a reception to introduce him to members. “You get so much more feedback at a club and can be more creative than in a typical restaurant setting. I especially enjoy cooking for banquets and special occasions,” said Glaser, adding, “Being at a club is just more in my wheelhouse and allows me to utilize my strengths.”

Glaser is an avid fisherman and gardener who says seafood offers more variety in the preparation of the entrée than beef, adding the members will benefit from the fresh vegetables grown in his garden this season.

Glaser’s wife, Beth, is from Charlottesville, and he has been a chef at well-known establishments in that area like Boar Heads Inn and the Marigold Restaurant at Keswick Hall. He was also the chef at the Greencroft Club in Charlottesville, a smallish club of about 120 active members.

When single, Glaser, who grew up in New Bern, N.C., took his culinary skills to beach resorts along the Atlantic coast because he was a surfer, but also spent time in the Rockies out west because he likes to ski. “I never stayed in one place too long before I was married, but have settled down now and want to find a place I can call home.”

His move to the Eastern Shore came about three years ago because of his familiarity with the area since his mother-in-law had a house in Cape Charles. When their home in Cape Hatteras suffered major damage from hurricanes in back-to-back years, he and his wife sought to escape “Hurricane Alley” and bought a home in Jamesville, less than five minutes from Morley’s Wharf, where he launches his boat.

For the past two years Glaser has been the chef at Blarney Stone’s Pub in Onancock. “I enjoyed my time there,” said Glaser, “but I am excited about the opportunity to be more creative in a club setting and have a little more freedom in the way I prepare food. I want to keep the menu items members like, but also introduce new offerings that I think will be popular.”

Glaser did not attend a culinary school, claiming he came from a “Let’s Make It Happen” educational background. “I always worked hard, listened and had a good attitude, showing up on days off to learn what I could,” said Glaser. “I also have about 300 to 500 cookbooks and have learned from every one of them.”

Glaser said he looks forward to working with the staff at the club. “I really believe in setting up everyone for success,” he noted. “It takes a team from getting the food into the back door to preparing the food to the techniques of presenting the food.

“Except for a short time when I was a commercial fisherman, cooking is all I have ever done. It’s what I love to do, and I am truly excited about this opportunity to serve the members of Eastern Shore Yacht & Country Club.”