By Bill Sterling
Special to the Eastern Shore Post
Gary Glaser’s well-traveled, 30-plus-year path to becoming the new chef at Eastern Shore Yacht and Country Club includes several stints at fine dining establishments, resorts, country clubs, and beach hangouts.
Glaser, who grew up in New Bern, N.C., said he is excited to be part of a family again in a place 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. Being at a club is just more in my wheelhouse and allows me to utilize my strengths.”
Glaser is an avid fisherman and gardener, both of which influence his cooking.
He enjoys using seafood in the kitchen because it offers more variety in the preparation of an entrée than beef, he said.
Members will also benefit from the fruits of his labor in the garden, with his fresh vegetables finding their way into dishes this season.
Glaser’s adventures in the kitchen have taken him from the heart of Virginia to the Rocky Mountains.
His wife, Beth, is from Charlottesville, and his resume is fleshed out with roles as a chef at well-known establishments in that area, including Boar’s Head Inn and the Marigold Restaurant at Keswick Hall.
He was also the chef at the Greencroft Club in Charlottesville, a small club of about 120 active members.
Before he was married, Glaser took his culinary skills to beach resorts along the Atlantic coast because he was a surfer, but he 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,” he said.
His move to the Eastern Shore came about three years ago. He was familiar 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 served as one of the chefs at the Blarney Stone Pub in Onancock.
“I enjoyed my time there,” he said.“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,” he said.
“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, and instead comes from what he calls 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,” he said. “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 said.
“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 and Country Club.”
