| Address: | 226 Nepean Street | | Ottawa, Ontario | | K2P 0B8 | | Telephone: | (613) 238-7063 | | Fax: | (613) 231-7474 | | General Email: |
| | Follow me on Twitter | | Facebook Page | | Stephen Beckta, Owner | |   | Stephen Beckta is proprietor of Beckta, and its sister restaurants, Play food & wine and Gezellig. After graduating with honours from Algonquin College’s Sommelier program, Stephen departed Ottawa to hone his skills in New York City for four years with the top players in the restaurant industry. Stephen started at Café Boulud working for the celebrated chef, Daniel Boulud, followed by two years with renowned restaurateur Danny Meyer at Eleven Madison Park before returning to his native city. Stephen has been named Top Independent Restaurateur in Ontario by the Ontario Hostelry Institute (2007), nominated for the Bill Joe Restaurateur of the Year Award three times by the Ontario Restaurant Association (2005-2007), nominated for the Ontario Premier’s Awards in Business twice (2006, 2010), named one of Ottawa’s Top 40 under 40 by the Ottawa Business Journal (2008) and Algonquin College’s Alumni of the year (2010).
| | | Michael Moffatt, Executive Chef | |  | Michael Moffatt is the Executive Chef of Beckta and its sister restaurants, Play food & wine and Gezellig. Michael’s cuisine has been described as “consistently inventive and delicious”. He spent many years working in renowned kitchens including The River Café, one of New York’s most iconic restaurants as well as the CAA 5 Diamond Award winning kitchen at the Rimrock Resort in Banff, AB. Michael is a proud Algonquin College Culinary Arts Graduate and now chairs the Advisory Board for the Culinary program. Michael began his tenure at Beckta as Sous-Chef in 2003, before taking over the reins as Chef in 2006.
| | | Pieter Van den Weghe, General Manager & Wine Director | |  | Pieter Van den Weghe served and managed at Ottawa’s Courtyard Restaurant for 13 years. Along the way, he fell in love with two things. The first was the rewarding experience of looking after people. The second was all things wine. Both of these passions led him to become a graduate of Algonquin’s College’s Sommelier Program and earn a Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits from the WSET. First joining Beckta dining & wine as Service Manager in 2006, Pieter became our Sommelier in 2008. Since then, he’s crafted a diverse wine list which promotes delicious Canadian and international wines from great producers who make wine with a sense of place. In 2011, Pieter was promoted to General Manager. Outside of Beckta, Pieter continues to spread the word about wine through his teaching at Algonquin College and his articles in Diplomat magazine.
| | | Katie Brown Ardington, Chef de Cuisine | | | Katie Brown Ardington grew up in the restaurant business and has accomplished more in the industry than some do in an entire career. At age thirteen, she started as a dishwasher at a pub in her hometown of Brockville. After being promoted to prep cook, Katie’s career hit the fast track as she worked her way through every station in the kitchen. Then, she moved to the front of the house where she experienced the other side of customer service and continued to broaden her knowledge of the hospitality business. At college, Katie decided to follow her passion and enrolled in culinary school. She completed Algonquin College’s Culinary Management Program and both graduated with Honours and made the Dean’s List. After college, Katie worked at an Italian bistro, learning pasta making and taking over creative control of the dessert menu. She also held down a Sous-Chef position at Smuggler’s Run, an upscale tourist destination restaurant in Gananoque. Ending the season at Smuggler’s, Katie came to Ottawa where she joined Beckta dining & wine. She again managed to succeed at every station in the kitchen. Never one content to rest on her laurels, Katie moved in 2009 to Beckta’s newly opened sister restaurant, Play food & wine. Beginning as one of the Sous-Chefs, she was later chosen to lead the kitchen as its Chef de Cuisine. Thanks to the success brought by her vast knowledge and love of food, Katie received the Top 30 Under 30 award in 2010 from the Ontario Hostelry Institute. In 2012, Katie returned to Beckta dining & wine to assume the role of its Chef de Cuisine and continue her culinary journey.
| | | Haz El-Gabalawy, Head Server | |  | Haz El-Gabalawy has worked in some of Ottawa’s premier dining establishments. With 30 plus years of experience, he's a true icon of service and hospitality, and has established a loyal following among Ottawa diners. In 2003, Haz was a founding member of the Beckta dining & wine team and has, since the beginning, greatly contributed to the training and development of our award winning Front of House staff. He was recognized for his many fine reviews and accolades by receiving the 2007 Ottawa Citizen Service Person of the Year Award.
| | | Bill Mannering, Head Server | |  | Bill Mannering started his service career at the Benmiller Inn & Spa, just outside of his hometown of Goderich Ontario. Over 10 years, his passion for hospitality grew, and he built a solid foundation of service skills. In 2003, Bill was part of the opening team of Beckta dining & wine. It was as a server here at Beckta, where he truly came to understand the nature of compassionate and knowledgeable service. Bill became one of our Head Waiters in 2008 and has since graduated from Algonquin’s College’s Sommelier Program.
| | | Steve Whittaker, Service Manager & Maitre d'Fromage | |  | Steve Whittaker served and managed for the Oliver Bonacini Group of restaurants in Toronto for 3 years. During his tenure with them, his proudest accomplishment was the resurrection of the cheese program at Biffs Bistro & Wine Bar. Thanks to the guidance of Maitre d'Fromage Kathy Guidi and Steve’s efforts, the cheese program moved to the forefront of the Toronto dining scene. In 2008, Steve came to Ottawa and joined the Beckta dining & wine team as one of our Service Managers. He constantly shares his commitment to service excellence with fellow staff and guests. Thanks to Steve and his love of fine artisanal cheeses from Canada and around the world, the cheese course remains one of the most popular and delicious aspects of dining at Beckta.
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