How food is driving club culture

It’s been three years since the clubhouse at the 108-year-old St. George’s Golf and Country Club on Setauket, Long Island, underwent a major facelift transforming its 1970s feel into a trendy venue.

But the decor was only part of it. A new kitchen restoration highlighted by the hiring of an executive chef breathed new life into the previously more traditional menu that focused on staples like meat and potatoes.

Culinary Institute of America graduate Paolo Fontana started in February 2022, with the goal of creating a Michelin-starred restaurant in the clubhouse that catered to diverse members.

“The club was already riding the positive increase in membership that occurred during the pandemic and my plan was to make St. George’s an exclusive venue where members came to both golf and dine,” said Fontana, who has a master’s degree in food studies from New York University.

Fontana relied heavily on the insights he acquired during his more than six-year tenure as executive chef and owner of the SCGP Café at the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics on The State University of New York at Stony Brook campus.

“At the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, I cooked for some of the world’s most brilliant thinkers,” Fontana said. “Being around those minds taught me to approach food, operations and leadership with the same analytical curiosity and immerse myself fully in the problem and push for creative elegant solutions.

This mindset now drives everything Fontana does at St. George’s.

“We change the menu every week and offer an array of top-of-the-line steaks, fish and produce,” said Fontana, who was promoted to clubhouse manager in 2024. “One of our most requested dishes is our seared sea scallops over corn milk risotto.”

Fontana said he continues to offer favorites such as chicken parmigiana for longtime members.

Starting in August, the club will feature its first al fresco Italian dinner at a cost of $250 a person.

Club President Frank Morgigno said every membership category is either at capacity or on a waiting list, and their bottom line is strong.

“Paolo had a lot of forward-thinking ideas,” Morgigno said. “He introduced European and Mediterranean influences into our meats and fish, added sauces and other items that really challenged people’s palettes and encouraged them to dine on the premises instead of patronizing other high-end restaurants. He also started wine pairing and beer- and bourbon-themed events that…