Leaders at Sarasota Yacht Club share insight into 100 years of success

What does it take to meet and exceed the expectations of members at a high-end yacht club that has been serving the community for 100 years?

It comes down to having a cohesive team working behind the scenes, orchestrated by team leaders who have a deep understanding of what patrons want, only made possible through years of experience in hospitality.

Perhaps that industry know-how comes through in a person's ability to riff off a visitor's favorite cocktail when they pay a visit to the bar. Maybe it is the evidence of expert wine pairings coupled with an inventive culinary menu.

According to Sarasota Yacht Club Operations Director Max Miranda, the ability to bring forward all these skills — plus whatever others may be required at a moment's notice — is what sets his team apart.

Miranda, who has been with SYC for five and a half years, is collaborating with Executive Chef Bruce Bailey and their team to bring a high-end level of service to the community.

"It fulfills me when I can go above and beyond. It really does," he said. "That's something we really strive to instill in our whole team."

Photo by Dana Kampa

He previously worked with Karen Harmon, who is now the general manager at SYC, when they both lived in Miami seven years earlier. He attributes their success in working together over the years to her genuine care for people.

Miranda was the food and beverage director at Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club. He moved to Miami with his family from Nicaragua at 12 years old, and he called the big city home for three decades.

While he enjoyed Miami, he was delighted to take on a new role in Sarasota.

Bailey, who has been with SYC for a little over nine years, shared his appreciation for the unique status a yacht club head chef enjoys. He has the opportunity to work with exceptional ingredients and flex his creativity while catering to diners who return frequently.

He worked his way up from the position of sous chef, and now he appreciates giving up-and-coming cooks in his kitchen opportunities to display their own perspectives and talent.

Photo by Dana Kampa

"We've been able to do things like expanding our food and wine experience to two nights, and both sell out most of the time," he said. "It's because we try to do stuff that is unique and interesting."

Bailey and Miranda work hard to understand complex yet complementary flavor profiles.

Culinary tradition dictates that red wine pairs with a steak. But these two seek to make a more specific, complex match. Miranda might pair an Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon, noted for its robust black currant aroma, with Bailey's caramelized onion, date and bacon-topped New York strip steak so the differing sweet notes bounce off one another rather than becoming saccharine.

Bailey said the onion jam may be one component of the dish, but getting the balance just right has been a fun challenge.

"I've been trying it with various beef dishes, and we recently did a sampling with our wine education class," he said. "We did a braised short rib with a version that incorporates apples instead."

Photo by Dana Kampa

Patrons' tastes are ever changing with the seasons. For example, Bailey said his watermelon salad with toasted nuts, accented with edible flowers and a balsamic reduction, has been particularly popular this summer.

While the two heads bring a wealth of personal experience in the fields of hospitality and culinary arts, they agreed that fostering a strong team goes just as far in making a guest's experience exceptional.

"I think it is when you're truly appreciated that you give it your all," Miranda said. "We want to make sure we're creating a workspace that is safe, that is fun, and that is respectful. [Harmon] really embodies that too."

He also credited Stephanie Feltz, the SYC philanthropy and special projects coordinator, for her role in helping the club secure a spot among Forbes' Top 50 most exclusive yacht clubs in the world in 2021.

Reflecting on his time in leadership so far, Miranda said he has strived to make Sarasota Yacht Club a "yes club and kitchen."

"It could be something as simple as filling a member's request to have a certain bourbon behind the bar," he said.

The yacht club staff looks forward to ringing in its 100th anniversary this fall, and Bailey and Miranda eagerly anticipate making the celebration extra special with their own twists, potentially including a commemorative house spirit.