Augusta National Golf Club served up an experience of a lifetime for several Northeast Georgia students at this year’s Masters. Chefs for the elite tournament chose eight North Georgia Technical College culinary students to assist with food preparation at the event.
NGTC Chef Chris Bladowski and his students spent 10 days preparing meals for the nation’s top golfers in what Bladowski calls a true “culinary boot camp.” They worked from sunup to after sundown, putting in 16-hour days to feed the players, press, and distinguished guests.
Bladowski says the experience “tested your stamina, culinary skill, mental well-being from lack of sleep, and the ability to work with strangers.” Working under such intense pressure forged quick bonds and those strangers, he says, became good friends.
A first for Georgia
The road to the Masters started last July when Chef Bladowski took a culinary tour of Augusta National and met Executive Chef Roberto Bustillo. Bustillo had to find enough help to prepare all the meals at the clubhouse, press building, concessions, and Berckmans Place –an exclusive hospitality spot for die-hard golf VIPs and green jacket members.
“He told me it was a huge undertaking, and the usual culinary schools who have assisted in the past come from Louisiana, Charlotte, and St. Louis to work the event,” recounts Bladowski. “According to what we learned, no one from Georgia colleges has organized and staffed the Augusta kitchens in the past. I wanted to change that.”
Bladowski told Bustillo he would be willing to come help in the kitchen and bring some of his culinary students from NGTC who are earning money for future culinary internships abroad. They agreed, and the recruiting process began in September. Students underwent background checks and had video interviews. They participated in games of skill to determine who had the personality and memory for the job. Recruiters used what they learned to select the crew and make job assignments.
In December, the tournament notified NGTC that eight students were invited to work at the Masters with Bladowski and another NGTC alumnus, Chris Powell of Clayton. Another culinary student from Savannah Technical College also received the coveted invitation.
The crew was stationed in different kitchens throughout the property. Several students worked in The Springs, the green jacket members-only restaurant. Others worked in the press building, the Clubhouse, Isabella’s restaurant (with Two Star Michelin Chef Enzo Coccia from Naples, Italy), and Augusta’s.
A ‘great’ experience
“All the students performed well and with such great attitudes,” Bladowski says. “Every single student was invited back to work next year and will receive a letter of recommendation from the Masters.
“What an impressive resume they will have!” he says.
NGTC culinary student Carson Lofton of Blue Ridge described the week as incredibly exciting. “It was a whirlwind of emotions that turned out to be so satisfying,” he says.
Diane Rucker from Hartwell worked in the Berckmans prep kitchen. “It really challenged you and tested your skills that you learn in college,” says Rucker. “I was able to succeed, and I was so proud of myself!”
Selena Rizzo of Cornelia worked at The Springs and says, “it was a great experience that made me a stronger cook!”
Fellow students Pedro Diaz and Jace Reeder of Cornelia also worked at the Masters, along with Shontrea Lemon, Sylvia Faust, and Nikki Bladowski, all from Toccoa.
The students are already counting down to 2024, and so has Chef Bladowski.
“The culinary logistics to put on the Masters was amazing to learn, and I found out that this 51-year-old culinary instructor could hang with the best while cooking such high volume!”
