For Juan Garcia, becoming a finalist for Invited’s Chef of the Year was the culmination of a career shaped by years in North Texas country club kitchens. His latest milestone took him beyond the region, to Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic, where he joined a select group of chefs competing for one of the private club industry’s notable culinary honors.
Garcia, executive chef at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano, represented both his club and Invited, a company that operates more than 150 private golf and country clubs, city clubs and stadium clubs across North America.
Held April 20-24, the competition brought together chefs from across the country for a culinary showcase that tested their skills and offered an opportunity to exchange ideas. More than 200 ClubCorp golf clubs participated in the annual competition, which drew over 1,000 nominations.
Garcia did not take home the title, but he returned with a broader perspective on the profession and an appreciation for the people behind the dishes.
A Career Built in North Texas Kitchens
Garcia began his career with Invited as a line cook at Las Colinas Country Club in 1998. He advanced to executive sous chef before becoming executive chef at Stonebridge Ranch Country Club in McKinney, where he spent six years. When an opportunity opened at Gleneagles, a position he had long hoped to hold, Garcia was ready for the next step.
“Gleneagles has always being my goal since I started working for the company back in 1998,” he said. “When General Manager Bryant Early called me and offered me the opportunity, I was ready to take it. At this point I had already run successfully two different clubs Las Colinas CC and Stonebridge Ranch CC and they gave me the confidence to take Gleneagles CC.”
His progression through three North Texas clubs gave him experience leading kitchens and developing menus for different memberships. Yet Garcia says one of the most valuable lessons he has learned has little to do with technique.
“What has helped me, interesting enough, is not the growth on the culinary field,” Garcia said. “What has helped me the most is learning how to truly listen. Having a clear understanding of what the membership wants makes it much easier to manage and grow it.”
Photo: Matilda Preisendorf | Local Profile
At a private club, that understanding can be as important as culinary skill. Members bring their own preferences and expectations to the table, from longstanding favorite dishes to an interest in new flavors. Garcia’s approach is to pay attention to those preferences while remaining current with developments in the culinary world.
Dining In Casa de Campo
After Garcia returned from the competition, Local Profile had the opportunity to sample several dishes he prepared for the event. The tasting offered a closer look at his approach to flavor and presentation, with one dish drawing on the familiar language of Mexican street food and another finding inspiration in a simple family ritual.
The blue corn tacos brought together avocado, mango and lobster prepared pastor-style. Blue corn provided the foundation for a dish that combined the richness of lobster with the creamy texture of avocado and the sweetness of mango. The pastor-style preparation introduced another layer of flavor, giving the seafood a treatment associated with a well-loved Mexican cooking tradition.
Dessert took a more nostalgic direction. Garcia’s caramel popcorn crème brûlée was served with vanilla ice cream, pairing the familiar warmth of caramel and vanilla with a crisp corn-and-sugar topping formed into a honeycomb-like shape. The crunchy finish provided a textural contrast to the smooth custard and ice cream, bringing several elements together in a dessert that felt both playful and carefully composed.
Photo: Matilda Preisendorf | Local Profile
He developed the dish around memories of family movie nights and the comfort of home, translating an everyday experience into a more refined dessert.
For Gracia, family is the reason he cooks. He credits gatherings with his grandmothers as some of the earliest experiences that shaped his relationship with food. At the time, he did not recognize how much those moments would influence his career. Their significance became clearer as he spent more years in professional kitchens.
“Over the years I have thought about what got me into cooking,” he said. “I did not know it at the time, but I know now it was all the family gathering with my grandmothers, where some of my best childhood memories were created.”
Neither the blue corn tacos nor the caramel popcorn crème brûlée is currently on the Gleneagles menu. Both were prepared specially for the competition, giving Garcia an opportunity to explore ideas outside the club’s regular offerings.
Familiar Favorites At Gleneagles
At Gleneagles, Garcia’s cooking takes a different form, with a menu designed to serve the tastes and expectations of the club’s membership. Two dishes sampled by Local Profile offered contrasting examples of that approach.
The portobello mushroom fajitas bring together mushrooms, peppers, onions and squash in a vegetable-forward take on a Tex-Mex staple. Portobello mushrooms provide a substantial centerpiece, while the peppers, squash and onions contribute sweetness and depth.
Photo: Matilda Preisendorf | Local Profile
The house dry-aged ribeye, meanwhile, is a longtime favorite among club members. Dry aging allows beef to develop a more concentrated flavor and a distinct texture, qualities that make the cut a natural choice for diners who appreciate a traditional steakhouse experience.
For Garcia, no single dish fully represents his work. Instead, he sees the way an entire menu comes together as a more complete expression of the craft.
“I don’t think there is just one item that can truly capture my style,” he explained. “I believe the way I build the menus is more telling of who I am and the membership I am serving”
How North Texas Shapes His Cooking
Garcia’s years in Collin County have also influenced the way he approaches ingredients and flavor. The region’s wide range of cuisines gives him opportunities to explore different culinary traditions and incorporate new ideas into his menus.
“Having the ability to try so many different cusines in such small radius has open the door to experiment with an abundant ingredients and flavors,” said Garcia.
That variety is particularly relevant in North Texas, where Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking sit alongside Asian, Mediterranean and contemporary American influences. For a chef working in Plano, those traditions provide a broad reference point for developing dishes that feel familiar while allowing room for experimentation.
More than 15 years into his career, the opportunity to keep learning remains one of the things he values most about working in the kitchen. “Knowing that although I have learned and grow so much as a chef, there is still so much to discover and conquer,” he said.
Working alongside chefs from different backgrounds at Casa de Campo gave him an opportunity to observe other approaches to the craft and experience the collaborative side of a competition that might otherwise be defined by individual achievement.
“Everyone helping each other to have a successful event regardless of what was on plate,” Garcia said when asked what he appreciated most about the experience.
The Memories Behind The Menu
Asked whom he would most like to cook for, Garcia did not name a celebrity, public figure or fellow chef. His answer returned to those family gatherings and the people who made them memorable.
“If I could have the opportunity to cook alongside with my grandmothers and make their delicious tamales that would be my wish,” he said.
Recognition may come from the industry, but Garcia’s connection to cooking began at home, around a family table. That early influence continues to inform the way he thinks about food, the people he serves and the possibilities still ahead of him.
We thank the Gleneagles Country Club for hosting and treating us.
Don’t miss anything Local. Sign up for our free newsletter.