Justin “Jug” Droginske decided to try the food industry. At the time he thought to himself, “I like eating food, so why not make what I like?”
He was hired at a couple of eateries around the Valley, but it wasn’t until he was cooking at the former Ye Olde Alpha until he knew food was something of a calling. Now, though, after his past three-plus years as a chef with Oglebay’s Glassworks and the Ihlenfeld Dining Room, great grub is now his gig. Initially, he was a sous chef, but now he watches over all the food.
New Menu Items Arriving Soon at Oglebay Eateries
Keep in mind, though, that “Jug” hails from the South Wheeling neighborhood of the Friendly City, where making perogies and stuffed cabbage rolls are considered works of art that easily replace any processed, frozen TV dinner.
“Justin now is the ‘Chef de Cuisine,’” explained Executive Chef Tom Raymond. “That means he is in charge of the quality and the flavors, and he does an outstanding job.
“I put him in charge of the restaurants because of his abilities and creativity,” he said. “That means he oversees all of the restaurants we have and what they serve, and he does a very good job at it. That’s why he has the title he has here at Oglebay.”
Once upon a time, Droginske now admits, when he would leave a former food service workplace, he seldom thought of anything connected until he walked back into the kitchen. That, though, no longer is true because the “chef of the food” has chosen his life’s career.
“But when you are in this business at this level, and if you want to do well in this business, you have to always be thinking of new ideas,” Chef Raymond said. “Since I came to Oglebay a little more than three years ago, it’s been a pleasure working with Justin because his of talent, his work ethic, and his ideas.”
His Phone Does Ring
Droginske has been recruited by a number of eateries in the Wheeling area the past few months, but to this point the offers haven’t felt right for this South Wheeling native. He’s been lucky, though, gaining a position at The Meadows before jumping to Oglebay Park in 2018.
In the beginning, though, Chef Justin thought he may have made a mistake.
“My first six month here at Oglebay were rough, to say the least. I was hired, and then some misfortunate situation took place concerning the previous executive chef, and he then left,” Droginske recalled. “And then our food service director was out for the whole summer because of an illness, so those first six months were very busy and very confusing for the people who were left.
“And then, in October of that year, Chef Tom came in, and we needed that guidance and leadership in the kitchen. Chef Ashley and I did the day-to-day operations, but we needed someone we could rely on,” he continued. “One of the best parts is that Chef Tom has worked a lot of great places, and since he’s come here, I feel as if he’s taught me what he’s learned at all of those places.”
And Then the New Guy
Chef Tom, Droginske admitted, made all the difference.
“Ever since then, this has been the best job I have ever had, and it’s because of his guidance and because of the freedom he allows his staff members to have,” he said with a smile. “He and I wrote six new menus in like two hours, and off we went. Once everything was organized again, things started going very smoothly.
“Before Chef Tom arrived, everything was being done the old Oglebay way, but what we have created since is the new way, and it’s so much better than it was before,” Droginske insisted. “It was about changing the culture, and it was, ‘Get on board or get out.’ We did lose a few cooks, but ultimately we gained others who bought in and have done great things since.”
Chef Tom, who is native of the Ocean City, Md., area, agreed completely.
“Justin has grown a lot since I have been here, and part of that growth is that his creativeness has been unleased,” Raymond explained. “A lot of his creations have appeared on many of our seasonal menus, and they have been very popular. And sometimes, Justin has come to me with ideas, and I ask him what he’s got.
“It’s a back-and-forth thing, and it works because we evolve each other’s ideas,” the executive chef added. “After those conversations, we leave the office, go to the kitchen, and make the idea, and if we like it, it’s a special, or it’s an item on a new menu. But I value his input on a lot of the stuff that we do, and he’s a tremendous asset to me and to what we offer our customers here at Oglebay.”
