country clubs... golf clubs... tennis clubs and the like...

[iconoclast]

are these viable options for a persons first time in a prof. kitchen?

[kuan]

Yes. Anything is fine all the way down to Applebee's.

[Quinn01]

For the past half a year, i worked in a country club restauraunt. There was two in this one country club one being a 4 start restauraunt and the other being a highscale bar menu. Yes high scale bar menu. But basicly if you have somewhat of a background of food, sorta know what you are doing, how to hold a knife and so on then yeah go for it. Youll learn alot there. Maybe you will be working on a hot dog cart or maybe in a kitchen, either way youll work your way up and along the way learning a good amount of skills and kowlege.

[panini]

IMHO,
I think the one skill that most need to be sucessful in this industry is timing.
This can be learned in any profitable operation. Mickey D's, fast food, vending, all the way up.
pan

[stir it up]

golf and country club was my first culinary job and look how I turned out

To me it was a nice balance, some restaurant and some special events, also I moved up almost instantly

[panini]

S I UP,
Did you peel nibblics and mache spuds
You were inside, I was outside carrying doubles, 36 + on a
Sat.

[stir it up]

LOL panini.

You were inside, I was outside carrying doubles, 36 + on a
Sat.

And those were just the ones for the chef in the back!

[ldzpapa]

I guess it depends on what your looking for, my experience w/ private clubs has been this, low level of creative freedom, budget/ingredient restraints, bureaucracy, and to top it off pain in the proverbial tuckus clientele. But I must say that even bad experience is good experience. Good luck with whatever you choose.