A torn knee ligament quashed Johnny Scoggins’ chances of playing Division II college football out of Alabaster’s Thompson High School. Little did he know then that a long-standing family tradition would become an alternative dream career.

“My parents got me interested in Southern cooking,” said Scoggins, 28, executive chef at the Hoover Country Club. “I just happened to be reading the newspaper when I came across [Jefferson State Community College’s] Culinary and Hospitality Institute. I went to talk to [Jeff State Executive Chef and Instructor] Glenn Rinksy and he got me excited about cooking as a career.”

For the past two years, Scoggins has worked to infuse gourmet flavors and youthful whimsy into the Hoover County Club and its traditional southern fare. While at Jeff State, Scoggins was chosen for a two-year apprenticeship at the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa, where Scoggins honed his skills in French and Mediterranean cuisine. He was hired as a kitchen supervisor and remained in the post for three years before becoming a sous chef at Limestone Springs Country Club in Oneonta.

To read more about Johnny Scoggins of the Hoover Country Club, check out the January 2013 issue of Hoover’s Magazine. Find your copy here.