LAKE PLACID – When the Whiteface Club and Resort officially reopens its restaurants on December 3, diners will have the comfort of knowing their culinary experiences will be prepared by longtime local restauranteurs with a pinch of family members.
This is Lake Placid’s quintessential resort community and is sister property to the AAA Four Diamond Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa.
Andrew Quinn, the Whiteface Club’s Director of Food and Beverage, has reimagined the winter restaurant and menu at The Café on the Green and its accompanying Adirondack Dining Room. These Upstate New York eateries are adjacent to the Nordic tract which begins on the 18th hole of the renowned Whiteface Club Golf Course.
Quinn is known to Lake Placid diners as the proprietor of Desperado’s, a time-honored Mexican establishment, or Mexi-Quinn as he coined it, that he sold several years ago. In addition, his son, Patrick, se rves as the club’s sommelier, helping guests pair food and wine. The younger Quinn has also designed the cocktail and mocktail menus that will be unveiled this season.
Joining the Quinn duo are the Hudson siblings. In the kitchen, the operation is led by Executive Chef Alex Hudson, whose career includes The Cottage Café, Big Slide and Whiteface Lodge. His well-curated craft will raise the culinary experience at the café and dining room. Alex brings with him a love of sushi, which will be featured on Thursday nights in the Adirondack Dining Room.
To round out the talent, Kayla Hudson, another Cottage Café alum, is the Whiteface Club’s wedding and event coordinator. Kayla is happy to work with you on your next party, be it a small dinner gathering or a large-scale wedding.
Café on the Green will serve an all day menu welcoming patrons Wednesday through Sunday beginning at 11:30 AM with the final seating at 8:30PM, with daily happy hours from 4-6 PM. Dinner begins at 5 PM with the final seating at 8:30 PM, served in front of a roaring fire in the Adirondack Dining room.
“The deep family connections don’t stop at the Food and Beverage department. The Whiteface Club and Resort celebrate multi-generational duos across every department. It is one of the special attributes that make our club community unique,” added M. Tracey Brooks, CEO of the Whiteface Club and Resort.
Steve Hackett, the Director of Construction and Development, was joined by his son, Ryan Hackett five years ago. Corey Reid, Director of Facilities, worked closely with and followed in the footsteps of his father Ron Reid. Michael Sabatini, Golf Course Superintendent, has been joined this year by his son Dominick. Daughters Bella and Sophia have worked at the Club in the past as well.
And it doesn’t end there. The Babcock family is represented on the grounds too, with Head Golf Professional Perry Babcock. In the winter months, Perry puts away his golf clubs and runs the club’s invigorating cross-country ski and snowshoe trails. Perry coordinates the tracking and grooming machine that prepares the 10-mile network that’s now open to the public each day from 9 AM to 4 PM. There is also a rental shop. Guests of the Mirror Lake Inn may use the trails free of charge.
Whether you ski or shoe, one thing is for sure – enjoyment of the grounds, golf course and beautiful homes are thanks to the Reid, Sabatini, Babcock and Hackett families, and when you finish skiing or golfing and seek the nearest food and drink, the Quinn and Hudson families are ready to serve you.
As is evident, this iconic property is manned by multi-generational hosts and their family trees, all with deep-rooted Adirondack ties and delivered from their homes to enhance the Whiteface Club experience.