Please join us in welcoming new Executive Chef, Jolie Shafer, to the Dining Arts team!
Jolie comes to us from Wake Forest University, where she led catered functions as the Lead Banquet Chef and took over the Magnolia Room dining room at Reynolda Hall. Her innovative menus and interactive cooking events contributed to a ten-fold increase in student participation in four weeks.
Prior to living in Winston-Salem, Jolie lived in Chicago where she worked for 18 years at an upscale, contemporary restaurant called Tavern on Rush. As the Executive Sous-Chef, Jolie was responsible for the output of hundreds of daily covers for brunch/lunch. Jolie also was instrumental in developing a weekend brunch program which resulted in a robust revenue increase.
During the interview process for the Executive Chef position at Arbor Acres, candidates were invited to the kitchen and instructed to create a one-bite dish (amuse-bouche) that summarized their cooking style, and one entrée using a secret ingredient that was revealed to be grape leaves. For her one-bite dish, Jolie created a grilled, baked oyster (a dish that she typically enjoys at Christmastime with her family), for the entrée: stuffed flounder served with beurre blanc, and she created stuffed grape leaves with rice, raisins, toasted walnuts, and “secret spices”. Her dishes were, of course, very well-received by those in attendance.
Jolie’s skillset, background, and warm personality will be a great complement to Arbor Acres. Welcome!