New Exec Chef at Catalina Country Club

Catalina Island Country Club Introduces Executive Chef Paul Hancock
New Chef Boasts Extensive Experience in the Resort Industry and In Catering Elite Events

AVALON, Catalina Island, Calif. (July 27, 2010) —Paul Hancock, a chef with 15 year’s experience at upscale restaurants and private catering, is now bringing his extensive culinary talents to the Catalina Country Club, where he will serve as Executive Chef.  “I follow a ‘from farm to table’ philosophy using indigenous and sustainable products from local sources then execute them with French technique”, says Chef Hancock.

Hancock replaces Kathleen Vojkovich-Bombard as Executive Chef.  Vojkovich-Bombard served as the restaurants chef de cuisine for four years and was largely responsible for elevating the Catalina Country Club Restaurant to its current status as the premier dining establishment on the Island.  “We wish Kathleen all the best in her future endeavors. Her energy, passion and quest for perfection will be missed”, stated Randall Herrel, CEO of the Santa Catalina Island Company.

Most recently, Hancock owned his own catering company in Los Angeles, where he catered corporate parties for such companies as Charles Schwab, Smashbox Studios, and Rockstar Energy Drink. Hancock also served as personal chef to Howard Lester, the CEO of Williams Sonoma, Inc., and his wife Mary.  Prior to that, as the chef on a new yacht entering the charter market in the Marshall Islands and the personal chef for the yacht’s owner, he was instrumental in organizing and expediting large parties of up to eighty elite guests and celebrities and successfully organized dinner parties of up to three hundred people at the owner’s residence.

Hancock’s other experience includes three years as Executive Sous Chef (including five months as acting Executive Chef) for The Diplomat Country Club (Now The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa) in Hallandale, Florida, where he implemented five-star standards in the resort’s fine dining and 30,000 square feet of banquet facilities. The restaurant received AAA Four Diamond status for the three consecutive years he was there.  He also was the Chef/Pastry Chef at Giorgio’s Mediterranean Village in Hollywood, Florida, the Executive Chef of the Steel Porcupine in Raleigh, North Carolina, and carried out his chef’s apprenticeship in Veyier Du Lac, France at L’auberge de L’Eridian.

Hancock’s new home, the Catalina Country Club, is Avalon’s premier dining facility.  The former home to William Wrigley Jr.’s Chicago Cub’s spring training camp, the Country Club is open to the public Thursday through Monday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. as a first-class dining facility.  Spectacular surroundings, exceptional service, and modern American fare create an experience unparalleled on the island. The Country Club boasts signature cocktails, draft beer, fine wine, dinner and/or light appetizers served in the casual pub, where local memorabilia adorn the walls, on the patio under the island sun, or in the elegant dining room.

For more information on the Catalina Island Country Club, visit www.VisitCatalinaIsland.com. For restaurant reservations, call (310) 510-7404.