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St
Denis Party Center 440.285.2183 800.843.5676 10660 Chardon Road Chardon, OH 44024
partycenter@stdenisgolf.com |
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Interview with General Manager
Halina Zatorscke |
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What are the responsibilities of a party center
General Manager? Since St. Denis Party Center is new, one of my biggest responsibilities
is to build the business. I am finding
that this challenge is not too difficult due to the lovely presentation of
our facilities and the quality of our food and service. When our potential
customers tour our facilities, they are impressed with the building itself,
plus the scenic view of the golf course from the surrounding balcony. On a daily basis, I work to develop procedures that allow us to deliver
a level of customer service that’s above and beyond. During an event, I do
whatever it takes to ensure that our guests leave at the end of an event with
a happy content feeling. We know that you are the General Manager, but some people may not know
that you’re an excellent cook yourself. How did you become interested in cooking?
Coming from a Ukrainian family background, then settling in the United
States, I acquired a taste for both cuisines. Combining both ethnic and American
cooking was exciting and it spurred my curiosity of learning how to prepare
the combinations and inspired me to do them well. I first learned “American
cooking” in high school Home Ec class and the 4H Club. Our family liked the
introductions and it made me want to learn more. To this day, I continue to
try all types of ethnic dishes from various cultures, and it delights me to
see both friends and family enjoy my creative samplings. What is your philosophy for entertaining? I have always enjoyed entertaining guests in my own home, and I feel the
same about our guests at St. Denis. I want my guests to feel comfortable,
welcomed, and, of course, delighted with the food. European hospitality is a
strong tradition with my family, and is simply a part of who I am. It leaves me incredibly fulfilled when I know I have done all I can to
please our guests and that the time they have spent with us is most
memorable. It’s more than just business to me—it’s personal. Customers have commented that you “never stop working” during an event
at St. Denis. What types of things do you do during an event? It needs attention, I do it. That’s my nature. I’m a “can do” person. I
am proactive to ensure that things run smoothly for the comfort of our
guests. My staff, including the chef, tease me that I can’t sit down or stay
out of the pot, so to speak, but I continue working until everything is up to
my standard and complete. It seems like you take the success of customers’ events personally.
What do you want your customers and their guests to take away from an event
at St. Denis? I know that each event we host at St. Denis Party Center is truly
special to the people who are holding the event, and to their guests. All of
us at St. Denis truly care. The owners, the staff, certainly our chef Tom and
I are committed to setting the highest standard of class and excellence. We
want our guests to thoroughly enjoy themselves, and we continually work
behind the scenes to ensure the success of each event. We’re there to make it happen. When our
guests leave, the hugs and smiles of our guests make all the hard work
worthwhile. What do you think are the best things about St. Denis Party Center?
What are the best things about your job here? St. Denis Party Center is truly a special place. Just like the golf
course, there is a true feeling of family and a caring atmosphere that the
owners have strived to create from its beginnings. The best thing about my
job is that I thoroughly enjoy it and look forward to every single day.
Meeting new people, assisting them with any creative needs and simply
coordinating their events for them makes my job challenging and pleasurable,
particularly the artistic end of it. Do you have any new ideas for the future at St.
Denis? We’re always improving and making the party center better. We continue
to strive for the comfort of our guests and for overall excellence. We
recently added a wall of mirrors to the banquet room that we have received
many compliments on. Right now, we are adding additional decorative touches,
again to our banquet room, but also to our foyer. We also plan to create events of our own for the public that involves
our community. We’re capable of hosting a variety of events here. In 2003, we
held our first Mother’s Day Brunch, and judging by how well it was received,
this will become an annual event. We’re discussing a Friday night fish fry during Lent, Christmas events,
a personal invitation wine tasting event for people to have an opportunity to
buy specialty wines for their holiday guests at a discounted price. We may be
having a monthly invitation-only cocktail-dinner event, with everything from
candelabras to specialty foods to tempt the palate, all with an elegant touch
of class. We would also love to celebrate certain holidays such as New Year’s
Eve, if we find there’s an interest. What do you think of your staff? My staff is absolutely terrific, from Tom our chef to all other members
of our St. Denis family. Without them and their dedication, St. Denis would
not be able to achieve the level of excellence that we do. Tom and I have
hand-picked and trained each staff member. Attitude is crucial—the staff must
have a positive, friendly attitude, and they do. They all try to ensure that
excellent customer service is a priority as much as Tom and I do. We have regular meetings to find out how we can improve. We all work
very hard, yet we have fun doing it—laughter is a key ingredient in our
kitchen. We all enjoy what we’re here for, and the result is success. |
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St Denis Party Center 10660 Chardon Rd Chardon, OH 44024 |
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