Our goal at the club is always to create valuable memories for our membership.  Our “Mile High Milk Shake” is our latest endeavor to create an item that is unique to their club experience with us, is delicious, and begs to be shared on social media.  We were initially inspired by the “over the top” milk shakes which are prepared at Black Tap in New York City, and we set out to create something that would be slightly more refined, yet still unexpected, fun, and Instagram-ready for our membership and their children.

We prototyped this idea last year for several weeks during the summer with a wildly enthusiastic response from the membership.  One member even noted that she and her friend were heading elsewhere for dinner, but stopped by the club for a milk shake first after seeing it on Instagram.  Our initial iteration used a 14 oz. glass, and we found that most members were ordering a half-size for their kids.  This summer we switched over to a 12 oz. jar, and had our graphic featuring the “Myers Park Milk Shake Co.” printed onto a bumper sticker-style material that could stand up to multiple washings.  So far the response by the membership has been equally enthusiastic, with no requests for a smaller portion since we changed over to a smaller serving size.  One of the benefits of the jar is that it is far more stable and has a lower center of gravity, allowing us to be more creative when piling on the toppings.

Our pastry department has four parameters that are checked off each week when creating a new milkshake:  Flavor of the milkshake, drizzle for the inside of the glass, garnish for the rim, and finally the topping.  All elements of the milkshake should work together to convey an obvious theme and the flavors should be harmonious.  One of our pastry cooks, Sarah, has taken over the milk shake project and elevated it to another level!

Each week we feature two specialty shakes in addition to all of our regular flavors.  The newest flavor rolls over to the next week, and then a new item is created to join it.  Our Culinary Leadership team meets at the beginning of each week to try upcoming specials for each restaurant, as well as our weekly wood-fired pizza and our Mile High Milkshake.  Dishes are dissected, notes are offered, presentations are refined, and finally the items are snapped for social media and spec sheets.  The results are something that our team can be proud of and our membership can enjoy!

Beyond the immediate gratification of seeing families enjoy our creations in the dining room, my hope is that, one day, a parent can relate awesome memories of their childhood at the club to their own kids.

This article was originally written by Scott Craig  for “Club and Resort Chef” magazine – July 2019