EDGEWOOD COUNTRY CLUB NAMES KYLA BASSO VP OF SALES AND MARKETING; Anthony Villanueva Joins as Executive Chef

Edgewood Country Club (https://www.edgewoodnj.com/) has announced that Kyla Basso has joined the club as vice president of sales and marketing. In addition, Anthony Villanueva has joined Edgewood as the new executive chef.
According to Dan Rogers, general manager of Edgewood Country Club, “These are exciting times for Edgewood which has undergone a meaningful revival in the last year in both programming and membership at a time when so many clubs are struggling. Kyla brings a unique combination of golf experience and marketing know-how to Edgewood, and we are so excited to see what she has planned for our valued members and new membership alike.”
Basso, who brings 10 years of golf club marketing experience to Edgewood, will develop and direct the club’s expanding social and recreational programming, including its new Lifestyle programs, golf outings and tournaments, banquets and special events, and membership drives. She previously was director of membership and marketing at The Woodmere Club in Woodmere, NY. Her extensive background includes positions as assistant golf professional, golf outing coordinator, merchandise manager and membership director for several golf clubs along the East Coast. She also was an associate at a marketing and public relations firm in New York City.
Basso plays competitive golf with the Metropolitan Golf Association and Metropolitan Section of the PGA, as well as travels the country participating in private tournaments as the Macanudo Golf Professional. She previously toured as a Professional Golfer with the LPGA Duramed FUTURES Tour and the SunCoast Series Tour.
Raised in Nanuet, NY, she competed on the Junior PGA Tour and with the Police Athletic League as a young golfer. While attending high school, she played varsity boy’s golf in the number one position and later earned a scholarship to play division one college golf at Hofstra University. While earning a B.A., magna cum laude, in marketing, she also won All-Conference and Athletic Academic Honors at Hofstra.
Basso actively volunteers with New York Special Olympics on both the state and local levels, which has earned her the Rockland County Volunteer Award, as well as recognition as the Nanuet Distinguished Woman in Sports Award, and 40 Under 40 honors from the Rockland Economic Development Council.
As the club’s new executive chef, Villanueva brings an entirely new vision for the club’s culinary program, one that will be characterized by theme nights, his keen interest in Mediterranean food, and a level of cuisine intended to rival the best restaurants New York City has offer. In addition, Villanueva will institute an in-house baking program for club members so that all breads and desserts will be baked on premises.
“My goal is to elevate the level of cuisine at Edgewood so that our menus and the quality of the food and service will create a memorable country club dining experience for our membership,” Villanueva explained. “For example, we are redesigning our menus to feature seasonal plates and an a la carte dinner menu.”
Among his other plans for Edgewood members are new menus for the club’s events including weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, golf outings and holiday parties, as well as a relationship with one of the region’s premier kosher butchers.
Villanueva previously served as executive chef at Greenbrook Country Club in North Caldwell, NJ, where has also was named “Honoree of C.A.S.A.” Villanueva attended the Culinary Institute of Hudson County Community College and has taken classes at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.
“Anthony’s extensive baking programs, which now serve as a hallmark of his 20-year career as a chef within the country club industry, have cultivated a following among members. We know he will create a best-in-class country club dining experience for both our Edgewood members and special event guests,” Rogers noted.
About Edgewood Country Club
Founded in 1956 on the grounds of two former pre-Revolutionary War farmsteads that were later converted into a country manor estate, Edgewood Country Club offers distinctive facilities in a warm, but sophisticated, setting. The club’s jewel is an impeccably-maintained, 27-hole golf course, staffed by PGA-certified golf pros. Other club features include six Har-Tru tennis courts, a comprehensive tennis instruction program for players of all ages, and the Club’s infamous Midway Bar & Grill. It also boasts one of New Jersey’s largest heated swimming pools, a cardio and strength training fitness facility, and a newly decorated clubhouse for both member and non-member dining and special events. The clubhouse, which offers fine dining and gracious service, is host to many events such as weddings, golf outings, banquets, bar mitzvahs and other parties for up to 400 guests. For information about membership or events call Edgewood County Club Vice President of Sales and Marketing Kyla Basso at 201-666-1200, extension 273.