Joni Martinson
Assistant Food & Beverage Manager and Events Manager (Wedding & Banquet)
Joni is a local, born and raised in the Vancouver area (how rare is that these days) and has been in the Food and Beverage industry for 37 years having spent 34 years of that time in Food & Beverage at University Golf Club. Joni is currently our Assistant Food & Beverage Manager and Events Manager, however she has had a variety of roles within the department since she started working here while attending the University of BC acquiring her Bachelor of Education. Joni has her WSET Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits and enjoys wine and wine education (aka ‘market research’). When not working she can be found spending quality time with family and friends and playing the occasional round of golf (although she would like to play more). Joni looks forward to traveling again post COVID and being a part of the Food & Beverage team once again for 2022!
Andy Scharffetter
Executive Chef
Andy’s passion for food is legendary. Whether he’s creating a cup of hot chocolate for heli skiing guests, fresh from the sea lobster for resort guests in the Seychelles, or perfecting a recipe for beer soup at a brew pub, Andy’s passion for food and cooking infuses every dish he creates. When he’s not in the kitchen Andy enjoys photography, particularly photographing vintage cars and the colours and textures that make Vancouver an amazing city. He’s recently created a line of delicious take home comfort food, our Westward Ho! To Go!, available every day in our restaurant!
Jeremy Hayhow
Restaurant Manager
Growing up in Southern Ontario and moving to BC as a teenager. Jeremy has always had a passion for Travel, Adventure, and new experiences. He has been to over 30 countries and worked abroad in Australia, Germany, and Walt Disney World in Florida. With over 10 years in the industry he has always had a passion for customer service. His hobbies include, photography, film, sports, staying active, and the outdoors. Jeremy is looking forward to bringing an exciting new energy to the team for a busy 2022!
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
TESTIMONIALS
Your satisfaction is our goal
Celebration of Life, March 2022: Dear Joni, I wanted to let you know how happy I was with how everything worked out for the Celebration of Life. The venue was beautiful and so thoughtfully set up. The food and beverage service were excellent. Thank you so much to you and your team for making this important day so lovely. All the best, Patti.
Hi Joni: We both want to thank you very much for all of your hard work. Your offer to move us to the larger room saved the day (especially because of the weather) and you were helpful and responsive the whole way through going back to the spring. Also, I wanted to pass along how much we (and our guests) enjoyed the food. We received many good comments about the buffet. The mussels in particular were a big hit and I LOVED the pork tenderloin dish. Probably the best pork tenderloin I have ever had in my life. So please pass along our compliments to the Chef and kitchen staff who prepared that incredible food for us and our guests. It really could not have been any better (except for the rain, but we even managed to handle that pretty well). We are more grateful and appreciative of everything you did for us. Thanks again and take care, Daniel and Christina, September 2021
Hi Joni: Thank you so much for all the work you put into our wedding! The reception was beautiful and the food was absolutely delicious. You were wonderful to work with and I was so grateful to have you running the scenes. All my guests remarked on what a fantastic time they had. I hope to be back in the future when my sister gets married. All the best, Shannon. (Shannon & Matthew, July 2021)
Joni, Thank you for making us feel so special. This little note is warmly sent to tell you how much your kindness has meant. Donna & Tony September 2021
Hi Joni. Thank you for everything that you did to help make our day extra special! It was a pleasure to get to work with you as a 'client'! Steve UGC Head Golf Pro) & Megan
Candy & Keon, Bride & Groom, February 2020: Feedback from their event survey. 5 out of 5 reviews. Working with Joni is always a breeze and flexible, super helpful.
Hi Joni, Jeff and I would like to sincerely thank you for all your effort and diligence working with us from start to finish of our wedding event. We truly appreciate all the assistance you have provided us and you have contributed to a lot of smooth organization on our wedding day. There has been many ongoing changes the last couple of months due to the pandemic yet at the end our event turned out very well plus exceeded our expectations. Our guests very much enjoyed the ambiance with the outside gazebo as well as inside the Westpoint room and all had a pleasant and enjoyable time plus we received many compliments for the food as well. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Al and the remaining staff whom assisted us on our wedding to make our day special and memorable. Dora & Jeff, Bride & Groom August 2020
Marialejandra Bride, September 2020: "We had a 5 start experience while planning and hosting our wedding at UGC. We value the flexibility and willingness to attend to our specific needs. The attention to detail was remarkable. High quality food and a beautiful environment for a reasonable price. We had a first booking experience with another vendor for our wedding and during that planning process we felt tense because of the many demands of the venue. at UGC we had a totally different experience. We felt the support of the staff to create our special day just as we wanted, and working side by side with us to overcome the challenges of COVID and weather. Thanks for providing an excellent events/banquet service with a high sense of empathy and sensitivity"
Event Survey Feedback from a June 2019 Bride & Groom: Our #1 reason for choosing UGC was the beautiful ceremony site - we loved it so much and so did our guests! The Banquet Team was great, especially the banquet manager who was an amazing help to us at the wedding reception. We also enjoyed the food and appreciate that there were so many options/substitutions available. Overall, our experience was wonderful and we're so happy we went with UGC for our wedding venue.
Joni was an incredible event coordinator who helped us from the very first day meeting with her until the date of the wedding (checked to ensure everything was running smoothly before my ceremony). Joni made sure that all our questions were answered, provided us with creative alternatives and options and was flexible and responsive. The banquet manager and all of the staff were there for all of our needs the day of the wedding and my guests were so impressed with the service on the day. The venue was so professional but also felt friendly, relaxed and a natural for a golf club. The gazebo was such a beautiful ceremony location, with a pathway leading through a gorgeous maintained garden and winding stream (that even had frogs singing their little hearts out during the ceremony!). The Salons reception space is an elegant room which has lots of space and a great dance floor! I loved the layout of the room and the private patio to cool off. The food was top quality and buffet service so much delicious food that my guests were raving about throughout the night! Joni was so flexible and we could choose the exact customized menu with all the dietary specifications we needed. I would highly recommend anyone to have their wedding at UGC - they are in great hands working with Joni and the professional staff at the golf course. 5 out of 5's on their Event Survey. Sara & Alex, August 2019