RICHMOND – Born and raised around Richmond, Emily Layman is back at Shirkey Golf Course.

Layman grew up as the average horseback-riding girl, learned to cook from her grandmother and went on to own an in-home bakery and catering service business.

Working on and off the past 15 years, her cooking and managerial skills led Layman to manage the Shirkey Golf Course kitchen.

“It was overwhelming at first. Generally, when you take over a place, it is well put together and you follow in someone’s footsteps. In this case, it wasn’t so. There was a lot of confusion and misinterpretations of things – trying to iron out the kinks and keep everyone happy and things fair,” she said.

Layman said she believes there is a misconception about the golf course’s availability. The 19th Hole restaurant is accessible to the public, she said.

Layman said she is eager to see more people this year golfing, eating at the course and renting the banquet room.