Becquart appointed Executive Chef at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo
Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo announced the arrival of a new Executive Chef, Martin Becquart. With a wealth of global experience under his belt, Becquart brings tastes of an international palette to the Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo kitchens. Born in Laos, Bequart grew up in the North of France and there began his gastronomic journey across the world.
Igniting his passion for cooking at culinary school, Saint Martin in France, Becquart earned certificates in classic cuisine in addition to a BAC Professional Bachelor’s Degree. He began his culinary career as a first Commis Chef at La Residence de la Pinede in the fashionable St. Tropez region in his native France. Becquart has gained experience throughout the culinary industry, with his first major role in 1996 as a Junior Sous Chef at Lyford Cay Club in Nassau, the Bahamas.
Becquart’s interest in travelling encouraged him to tour the world, gaining experience at a number of top hotels. Developing his career further at InterContinental Beirut as Sous Chef to the top luxury resorts in West Indies, Becquart has gained a wealth of experience managing busy kitchens.
Adventurous by nature, Becquart’s travels have gained him many posts around the world both within Europe and outside. Taking over as a Restaurant Chef at the Hilton Rye Town, New York, he took full control of the Penfield’s fine dining restaurant, which was awarded by Zagat guide. This role exposed Becquart to creating seasonal and a la carte menus.
Becquart has spent the last nine years developing a career as an Executive Chef at many hotels around the world. Recent posts have brought him to the Far East to Park Lane Hotel in Hong Kong, Sofitel Saigon Plaza in Vietnam, mov- ing on with Starwood to Andaman, Langkawi in Malaysia where he was in charge of seven outlets within the hotel. His most recent post took him to Macau at the Sofitel Macau At Ponte 16, where as Executive Chef he was in charge of four outlets as well as banquets.
Becquart brings a wide range of experience working in kitchens around the world from South America, the Middle East, Caribbean, New York and Greece to Malaysia. His culinary interest began at childhood. Born in Asia but raised in France, culinary art flows in his blood. His lifelong ambition to be a chef was fueled by his mother who had a great influence on his interest in cooking. As a child, Martin was interested in cooking, spending time watching his mother cook. “She instilled in me the passion to cook and her inventiveness is something I always admire,” he says.
Travelling and cooking have become Becquart’s biggest fascinations. His international exposure has enabled him to admire the various cultures. He believes working in different environments has made him more open-minded and adaptable to trying out new flavours in the kitchen. These experiences bring a glow to his face. “Learning of new cultures and discovering new things about local people and food are the parts of my job that I love.”
One of Becquart’s biggest achievements was working at the Hyatt and Casino Regency Thessaloniki in Greece where he was part of the team that was recognised for having the top five fine dining restaurants in the country. Martin Becquart has a great vision for taking Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo even further as the Best Five Star City Hotel and Top Hospitality Brand in the country. He is keen to set a new benchmark in culinary standards of the country, a challenge Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo welcomes.