Jamie McAfee Returns to Pine Bluff Country Club to Revitalize Culinary Operations

“I have a 52-mile commute right now one way, and my commute in Pine Bluff is going to be 500 yards,” Jamie McAfee said. “I’m looking forward to getting quality of life back, so I am really excited to see if I can once again turn the club around.”

McAfee returns to Pine Bluff Country Club next week, Arkansas Money & Politics reported, ending a nearly two-year tenure as corporate master chef at Pleasant Valley Country Club in Little Rock. The move marks a homecoming for the chef, who spent 22 years at the Pine Bluff club before joining Pleasant Valley, and it comes at a critical moment for the struggling institution. Shari Jones, founder of Sissy’s Log Cabin, her son Bill Jones, the company’s CEO, and the club’s board of directors personally recruited McAfee back to Pine Bluff, betting that his deep history with the club could reverse its fortunes.

A Club Searching for Direction

The club is not doing well financially, and its leadership believes McAfee represents one of the few leaders capable of turning it around precisely because of his 22-year history there. McAfee draws a direct parallel between the club’s current condition and the state he found when he first started working there more than two decades ago. For Pine Bluff residents and club members, the return signals more than a staffing change; the whole town, McAfee said, is ready to have a club like it used to be.

“The club is not doing well, and they recruited me feeling that I could be one of the few that could turn it around because of my 22-year history there,” McAfee said. “And not only what the club needs with my expertise, but I think the whole town is ready to have a club like it used to be.”

With the club struggling, the board and local business leaders turned to a familiar face rather than an outside hire, hoping that institutional memory matters more than a fresh perspective in this moment.

Catering and Private Events Drive the Plan

On the culinary front, members can look forward to a menu featuring chicken sauté, high-quality filets, Cajun food, chicken salad, and fresh salads. But McAfee’s strategy to increase the club’s revenue extends well beyond the dining room. He expects to boost income by focusing on catering operations, while simultaneously building a private in-home chef business for parties across Arkansas.

“That’s where I’m at my best,” he said of the private events work.

Leaving Pleasant Valley on a High Note

“I never intended to stay at Pleasant Valley for five, 10 years,” he said. “My vision at Pleasant Valley was to help train some of their chefs and see if I could improve the atmosphere, and I think we accomplished a lot — didn’t accomplish everything I wanted, but I think we accomplished a lot.”

Trading a 52-mile one-way commute for a 500-yard walk gives him time for family and recreational activities he has sacrificed during his nearly two years in Little Rock.

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