Chef blends heritage at D/FW Airport hotel
Ian Beach feels right at home in his new job.
Appointed the Chef de Cuisine in November 2007 in the Grand Met restaurant at the Grand Hyatt DFW, adjoining International Terminal D at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Beach is responsible for the quality and presentation of the upscale restaurant’s culinary program – including room service in the 298-room luxury hotel. He also manages the staff and oversees all menu items.
Beach barely sits down for a chat before he scoops up what appears to be a wine glass marked with water spots from a nearby table.
“Sorry, but we can’t have that,” he apologizes, removing the goblet.
That meticulous eye for detail comes naturally to the 39-year-old chef. The grandson of Scottish hoteliers – his American father met his Scottish mother while serving in the Navy – he descends from a long line of gamekeepers and cooks and was exposed since childhood to the hospitality industry. Guests at his grandmother’s elegant table included the likes of Pierre Taittinger and Andrew Lloyd Weber.
“It was a really idyllic life growing up with them. They’d bring what we’d call luxury ingredients home every day – fresh salmon, pheasant, rabbit. It’s always intrigued me – fine dining – the ritual and secrecy behind the industry,” Beach said, with only a hint of brogue. “I learned a lot from them. They’re really the reason I wanted to be a chef.”
Beach was introduced to various international cuisines and music after living with his family in Scotland, Guam, Puerto Rico and all over the U.S.
“We moved every three years but it was good exposure to all kinds of cuisine and music. My first real love of music is salsa. I feel it in my bones. Some of the dishes I make are Puerto Rican-inspired with chicken and black beans and rice,” he said.
Beach eventually earned his GED and enrolled in Penn State, where he happened to meet a Dallas alternative hard rock band called The Buck Pets. The band recruited him to play bass, and for the next four years, Beach was on the road again. The band opened for Neil Young, toured with JaneÂ’s Addiction, had some hit LPs, made the cover of USA Today and was featured in Playboy magazine.
Then the party ended and the band broke up.
“After the band, I went back to the kitchen,” Beach said. “I always wanted to be in the kitchen although I love music and love making music. Cooking’s always been my first love even more than music.”
After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in New York City, Beach returned to Scotland to intern at Devonshire Gardens Glasgow under Andrew Fairlie, one of ScotlandÂ’s top chefs.
“He really turned my cooking around,” Beach said. “I learned discipline and seasonality from him.”
Beach returned to New York, where he accepted a position with celebrated Chef Alfred Portale at PortaleÂ’s Gotham Bar and Grill. PortaleÂ’s light, healthy, fresh ingredients and delicate plate presentations continue to influence him.
Beach moved back to Texas and before joining the Grand Hyatt DFW, he was Chef de Cuisine at DallasÂ’ five-star Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, where he worked under acclaimed Southwestern chef Dean Fearing.
According to Beach, the Mansion was another international experience that mixed in perfectly with his cultural background.
“There were movie stars, VIPs and people from all over the world at every meal,” he said. “We’d serve breakfast to former presidents of the United States, lunch to a Saudi royal family and businessmen and tourists from every country imaginable. It was exciting because you never knew who might be coming through, the same as this hotel.
“This hotel is like the League of Nations; there’s a real European feeling to the place. It’s like a small world. That’s one of the things I most enjoy about this industry, the people you meet from everywhere.”
Grand Met General Manager Andrew Davidson, a native of England, said BeachÂ’s cultural background, as well as his culinary talent, is a natural fit for the Grand Met and the Grand Hyatt DFW.
“Ian’s an interesting guy with a skill and caliber of cooking among the top chefs. It’s complicated what he does and he does a great job at it,” Davidson said. “He’s lived and traveled all over the world and brings those experiences here. It only makes sense. We’re in an international terminal so we should have a global staff. They’re all about hospitality. You’re almost in a hangar with little pods of experience in the restaurant, the bar, room service. Guests love it.”
Beach, who plans a permanent return to the Scottish Highlands some day, has spent the past few months mapping a new menu, with selections that reflect his diverse background and compliment the international flavor of Terminal D. Courses run the global gamut from sashimi and Aztecan chicken tortilla soup, to a lechon asado Cuban sandwich, to organic chicken tandoori and roasted rack of Colorado lamb.
“This is what brings people together,” Beach said, gesturing toward the restaurant. “I wanted to do this – elevate fine dining and entertain. In the end, cooking appealed to me more than the music.”
Contact Dillard at bdillard@bizpress.net
