Greystone chef gets the Masters nod

Chef Christian Morgan of the Greystone Golf & Country Club of Denham Springs got a unique chance to show his culinary skills at the 2012 Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Ga. Morgan was invited to cook for the tournament—including participating players such as Tiger Woods and, of course, 2012 champion Bubba Watson, as well as production staff, members of the press and other important guests. Although he was one of many chefs at the event, and although he was contending with a grueling schedule of 12 days, working nearly 18 hours a day, Morgan managed to put his personal stamp on meals by giving the players a taste of Creole flair. He served up dishes like shrimp and grits, crab cakes with remoulade sauce, and eggplant Napoleon. He even cooked one of his Greystone specialties, roasted chicken with pan gravy. “It went over really well,” he says. “I’d call it a huge hit.” One of the most exciting events he was involved in, he says, was the annual Champion Dinner, wherein the previous year’s Masters Champion—in this case, Charl Schwartzel—got to select the menu for the event. Johannesburg native Schwartzel picked a “South African barbecue” theme, and Morgan and his fellow chefs prepared filet mignon, rack of lamb, chicken breasts, and South African link sausages over an open pit, marinated in “monkey gland sauce,” a piquant blend of fruit and spices that’s a common condiment in South Africa. “It was a terrific learning experience,” Chef Morgan says, “and I’m definitely planning to bring in some of the things I saw there and implement things I learned. It was a really great opportunity to see food production on a truly high-end level.” Morgan has already been invited to return to the Masters next year. —Rachael Upton