Anthony Beckles(32)
Los Angeles, CA
BIO
I fell in love with cooking when I was just 6 years old. Living in Panama with my Grandmother, I helped her cook family dinner and my earliest responsibilities included peeling carrots and potatoes, and licking the mixing spoon when she baked (I was great at that). When I was 10, I moved back to the US with my parents and brother and cooked on an almost daily basis. Whether testing out recipes from magazines or just throwing stuff together and experimenting, I grew to be a natural in the kitchen.
I went to college and spent years trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, all the while cooking for friends, throwing dinner parties, and having my own test kitchen. After college, I decided to dive into the field and attended The Culinary Institute in Santa Monica. I worked for catering companies, ran a gastro-pub in West Hollywood, and most recently worked as a Sous Chef in the historic restaurant Clifton's Republic. However, my love for the craft drove me to take another leap and focus on creating unique dishes and memorable experiences in a smaller intimate setting; hence the pop-up dinner experience.
I grew up eating Latin American food with my family. In High School, I had a diverse group of friends who introduced me to South East Asian cuisine. Not only did I indulge myself in their culture's food, I would sit in the kitchen while their parents cooked to study their every move and ask a million questions. They would tell me about the dish and what it meant to their culture, and let me cook along side them. Culinary School made sure to introduce me to classic French, Italian, Russian etc. cuisine so that is why I would say my style is best described as just: Los Angeles (Melting pot). I draw from all these cultures and use their ingredients and techniques to create something you'll hopefully enjoy as much as I do.
I went to college and spent years trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, all the while cooking for friends, throwing dinner parties, and having my own test kitchen. After college, I decided to dive into the field and attended The Culinary Institute in Santa Monica. I worked for catering companies, ran a gastro-pub in West Hollywood, and most recently worked as a Sous Chef in the historic restaurant Clifton's Republic. However, my love for the craft drove me to take another leap and focus on creating unique dishes and memorable experiences in a smaller intimate setting; hence the pop-up dinner experience.
I grew up eating Latin American food with my family. In High School, I had a diverse group of friends who introduced me to South East Asian cuisine. Not only did I indulge myself in their culture's food, I would sit in the kitchen while their parents cooked to study their every move and ask a million questions. They would tell me about the dish and what it meant to their culture, and let me cook along side them. Culinary School made sure to introduce me to classic French, Italian, Russian etc. cuisine so that is why I would say my style is best described as just: Los Angeles (Melting pot). I draw from all these cultures and use their ingredients and techniques to create something you'll hopefully enjoy as much as I do.