The Chef

Growing up in a large Italian family on the Southside of Des Moines, IA, Justin was exposed to more great food in his childhood than most are in their lives. This definitely planted the culinary passion in Justin at a very young age.

Deciding to pursue this as a career, he started cooking as a teenager at a local high volume restaurant. In January of 1995 Justin enrolled in The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Following an internship at Grappa Restaurant in Park City, UT he graduated from the CIA in October of 1997. He has worked in great restaurants such as Oba Restaurant in Portland, and operated formidable fine dining kitchens in Denver, Dallas, and Mendocino.

Currently, Justin, with his wife Stormee, own and operate Restaurant Beck at Whale Cove Inn. Their restaurant, which is named after their son Becker, achieved an AAA – Three Diamond rating within its first six months of operation.  Gerry Frank of the Oregonian stated “…the fantastically located Whale Cove Inn houses Restaurant Beck, where views compete neck and neck with the food.”