In the Kitchen: Lisa Barone of The Restaurant at Fenner Hill in Hope Valley

After 20 years on and off in the dining industry, taking sabbaticals to raise her children, chef Lisa Barone had a change of heart – she wasn’t sure if she would continue working in restaurants and started exploring other career options. But at the beginning of 2024, she interviewed with Fenner Hill Country Club and fell in love with the family who owns the Hope Valley club and the promise of culinary freedom and creativity. The brand-new kitchen facilities inside the restored 19th century farmhouse with stunning views from the window of her workspace were a drastic and much-needed change from the typical slate and cinder block view at many commercial restaurants.

It was a perfect match for both Barone and the golf club, which set out to transform the culinary program at The Restaurant at Fenner Hill. In the process, Barone is finding creative cooking challenges and enrichment that put her culinary training from Johnson & Wales to good use. The menu is constantly changing dishes and styles – “every week you feel like you’re working in a different restaurant,” says Barone, who relishes in thinking fast on her feet to keep up with the rotations.

Barone works with business office manager Amy Fields on the menu each week to brainstorm timely themes. For example, for the 2024 Kentucky Derby, the pair devised a menu inspired by derby classics for the 150th anniversary, and during the summer, they embraced tropical flavors to lean into vacation vibes. They have even factored in parents with children on school breaks, concocting a peanut butter and jelly cocktail. Sunday brunch is always “eclectic,” says Barone, pointing to highlights such as Lobster Benedict and Chicken and Waffle Sandwiches.

In early December, Barone and Fields were working on a Best of Fenner Hill menu, celebrating “comfort food for golfers – with a flair” as the final putts of the season were swung. One contender was a bison burger smothered with Gouda cheese. “You can’t have a country club without burgers, and we’ve had people say these are some of the best!” boasts Barone.

Having gotten to know her clientele, Barone is grateful that guests are “always willing to try” what she puts on the menu. She also jokes that not all golfers have the most adventurous palates, so getting the December menu just right was a balancing act between serving up typical country club fare and creatively expanding upon the tried-and-true flavor profiles their patrons expect. “Golf clubs aren’t known for food, but everyone who has come through here has been pleasantly surprised that you can get a real meal here,” says Fields. 

“Somehow, Lisa just pulls it off, all the different flavors,” Fields gushes, admiring the chef’s ability to create numerous recipes each week for wildly different themes. According to Fields, Barone also loves to do the shopping for her kitchen, traveling to different markets and connecting with different vendors to get the freshest, most authentic ingredients for her dishes.

Barone’s cooking has made an impact on the diners, too. She was inspired by Julia Child when she was young, and has since held the firm belief that “the dinner table is the gathering spot,” a place to showcase love. The emotional aspect has its own intangible flavor, and that drive has gained her a following. Barone used to work at a restaurant in Jamestown, and now “her customers drive all the way up here to eat her food,” Fields says proudly. Barone is humbled and touched whenever she recognizes an old customer in the crowd; the best compliment a chef can receive is asking for seconds.

The Restaurant at Fenner Hill

33 Wheeler Lane, Hope Valley

401-539-8000

FennerHill.com/the-restaurant