After giving up his aspirations as a painter, Heinz Beck redirected his artistic flair towards professional cooking. Now an internationally renowned chef, Beck collaborates with his wife to manage their entrepreneurial initiatives. Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades attesting to his greatness in the world of gastronomy.
Biography
Heinz Beck was born in 1963 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. As a young man, he aspired to become a painter. However, discouraged by his family who saw painting more as a hobby than a means of livelihood, he found in cooking a way to express his creativity.
His career began in 1985 in Munich, where he took his first steps in a prestigious catering company. He then worked as a chef de partie at the "Colombi Hotel" in Freiburg before returning to Munich, where he honed his skills at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant "Tantris". In 1991, Beck moved to Mallorca, working as a sous-chef at "Tristan" before returning to Germany, in Aschau, to join the renowned "Residenz" brigade. In 1992, Beck earned the title of "master chef" from the Altötting Alzgern school.
In 1994, Beck went to Rome, Italy, to work at the "La Pergola" restaurant in the "Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts". Under the chef's guidance, the restaurant earned its first Two MICHELIN Stars in 2001, followed by the third in 2005, thanks in part to the collaboration with sommelier Marco Reitano. In the same year, Heinz and his wife Teresa Maltese founded "Beck and Maltese Consulting," which provides consulting, management contracts, and partnerships.
Beck's cuisine, the result of meticulous care and meticulous combination of excellent elements, has allowed him to manage various restaurants in Italy and abroad. These include the "Ruliano Perex Suctum con Heinz Beck" in Parma, "Café Les Pailottes" in Pescara, the restaurant in the Castello di Fighine in Chianti, "Heinz Beck Restaurant" in Santa Margherita di Pula, Cagliari. Additionally, there's the "St. George Restaurant" in Taormina, which has held Two MICHELIN Stars since 2022, and "Attimi by Heinz Beck," which has relocated from Citylife Milano to Rome-Fiumicino Airport and opened in 2023.
Furthermore, in 2021, Beck launched the "Heinz Beck Food Line by Beck & Maltese Consulting" for Palazzo Fiuggi within Palazzo Fiuggi.
The chef's talent has also reached Portugal with the starred restaurant "Gusto by Heinz Beck," Dubai with the restaurant "Social Heinz Beck" at the "Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah," London, and Tokyo. In addition to being a chef, Beck has also graduated as a professional sommelier from the AIS, demonstrating his professional dedication and completeness as a chef.
Beck's career has been crowned with awards and recognitions. He received the Five Star Diamond Award in 1998 and the Six Star Diamond Award in 2013. In 2000, he was awarded the Gold Medal from the Foyer degli Artisti at the University and ten years later, he received the Federal Merit Cross from the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
In 2014, Heinz was honored with the Venice Lion for his career and the "Chef of the Year" award from Identità Golose. One year later, he won the "Gusto & Salute" award from the Gambero Rosso Guide.
For decades, Heinz has been a supporter of collaborations with Italian universities and renowned national and international researchers, focusing on the relationship between nutrition and health. Since 2020, he has also been part of the administrative body and teaching staff at the Campus Principe Di Napoli, which offers courses in gastronomy covering various related disciplines.
Cover photo: @Donato Mauro- Advance Visual Communication
