The Fountaingrove Club recently welcomed Executive Chef Patrick Tafoya to lead the food and beverage operations at the thriving club located in Santa Rosa, Calif. Successively, the club just opened a new restaurant venue, The Sunset Grill, where Tafoya’s delicious food creations are featured. To celebrate the opening of The Sunset Grill, Santa Rosa Mayor Tom Schwedhelm will take part in a ribbon cutting ceremony at the club on Friday, April 12th at 4 p.m.
The Sunset Grill is currently open to Fountaingrove Club members and their guests Tuesday thru Sunday for lunch and happy hour, with breakfast and dinner service planned to begin in the near future. The new dining venue is located just off the practice facility and, as the name suggests, features incredible sunset and golf course views.
Executive Chef Patrick Tafoya holds a degree in Culinary Arts and Chef Training from the Western Culinary Institute. Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tafoya discovered his love for cooking while waiting tables in high school, and credits the discovery to “inconsistent staffing” in the kitchen. At 21, Tafoya moved to Portland, Ore. to be part of the Western Culinary Institute’s first Le Cordon Bleu graduating class. While attending the Western Culinary Institute, Tafoya worked under Certified French Master Chef Phillipe Boulot at the Heathman Hotel. The immersion in traditional French education along with the daily practical application is the foundation of his culinary journey.
From Portland, Tayfoya moved to Sonoma County where he practiced true seasonal farm-to-table cuisine at full service hotels, restaurants, and catering companies. At 28, he became Executive Chef at The Duck Club Restaurant at The Bodega Bay Lodge and Spa where he spent two years honing his culinary skills prior to opening his own establishment, Restaurant P/30. P/30 focused on using small local purveyors, foragers and farmers in addition to the restaurant’s onsite gardens, and enjoyed critical acclaim and robust community support.
Tafoya enjoys sharing his culinary knowledge and restaurant business acumen with others, having founded Maven Restaurant Consulting and teaching at The Culinary of Institute of America, Greystone Campus in Napa Valley.
“This is an exciting time at The Fountaingrove Club,” said Ronald Banaszak, chief operating officer, The Fountaingrove Club. “Chef Patrick is an outstanding addition to the club, and The Sunset Grill is already a hit with members.”
Located in the hills northeast of Santa Rosa, The Fountaingrove Club will soon break ground on a state-of-the-art new clubhouse. While the new clubhouse is being built, the club’s 10,000 square-foot Athletic Center is the hub for club and community activities. Members enjoy club dining options in an array of settings with wood-fire pizza ovens and portable culinary facilities providing members with fresh, local cuisine in a variety of locations, including on the practice range, next to the pool or in the Athletic Center.
Managed by Troon Privé, the private club operations division of Troon, The Fountaingrove Club features a beautiful Ted Robinson Sr.-designed golf course that boasts spectacular views of the Hood and Taylor Mountains as well as the rolling hills of Santa Rosa Valley. The golf course was also spared from the Tubbs Fire and has remained fully operational, hosting member play and numerous tournaments. As part of the expansive Athletic Center complex, there are five tennis courts and a 25-yard infinity swimming pool. Members also enjoy an impressive array of fitness opportunities including martial arts, yoga, aquatics, personal training, spin and strength training.
For more information on The Fountaingrove Club, visit www.thefountaingrove.club.