Catherine DiQuinzio

I'm currently the Chef de Cuisine at a country club, serving as the executive chef and food and beverage director's right-hand woman. In this role, I oversee all a la carte operations and banquet operations. My goal is to really be a true good leader and always lead the team with confidence, motivation, and respect. I definitely strive on teaching the younger generation everything that I know and just showing up and being the best I could be every day. I've been working as a chef for 17 years now, and many more to come. I started when I was young after taking a cooking class in high school - it was kind of just to get out of high school, but it's funny because I actually liked cooking. I enjoyed that fast-paced environment, the adrenaline rush, and the freedom to create. My high school got me a job at a country club, and I loved it. I knew I belonged there. What I love most about my current position is the creative freedom I have. I could 100% be creative - I have the freedom to do it. For example, if I want to create a fish dish and I found these microgreens or garnish that I could buy, I have the carte blanche to really get whatever it is that I want, that I know the membership would enjoy and like. That's why I like it there so much - it's motivating for me. I could literally do whatever I want. There's never been a time where someone said I can't get something. There's no micromanaging, and I could truly blossom into what I know I can be and what I'm capable of doing. When the time is right, I definitely want to be an executive chef, 100% in a country club. I think that I'm ready - it's more so just finding the right fit for me.

• High school cooking class

• Donating time to churches
• Handing out food to the needy during Thanksgiving