Baltimore

With a resume that reads more like a travelogue, it’s evident that Executive Chef Oliver Beckert has been around the butcher block a few times. His passion for the culinary arts has led him to Four Seasons properties all over the world – from Vancouver to Hawaii to London, just to name a few. “I’ve always tried to take the best from each of my Four Seasons postings. Baltimore is my eighth hotel, so I’ve got a lot to draw from.”

For Beckert, it all started in his grandmother’s kitchen in Nuremberg, Germany. Family photographs reveal a three year old learning the art of hearty German cuisine from his grandmother. “A fantastic cook,” he recalls. “My mother always worried I’d take my fingers off chopping onions and carrots. Then they realized this boy likes to cook.”

Schoolwork wasn’t Bekert’s thing, but he took to restaurants with ease, scoring an apprenticeship at a Michelin-starred dining room in Nuremberg before moving onto a five-star hotel in Bern, Switzerland. His experience ranges widely from the German cuisine of his youth to the Italian he learned in the military. Hawaii provided tropical inspirations, and coastal Canada found him focusing on “strong flavours and seafood.”

Now in Baltimore, Beckert has partnered with renowned restaurateur Michael Mina, himself no stranger to fashioning new Four Seasons dining experiences, to offer three new five-star quality restaurants, starting with a contemporary take on traditional tavern food at Wit & Wisdom, a Tavern by Michael Mina. There’s also Pabu, the city’s prime setting for Japanese sushi and sake, and the Europe san café-inspired LAMILL Coffee.

Add to that the seasonal outdoor pool grill overlooking Inner Harbor, and you’ll find a chef happily bemoaning the fact that the day is only 24 hours long. But don’t let that fool you, Beckert lives for the kitchen. An accomplished chef, his only flaw is his love for New York Jets football team. After all, this is Raven Town.