A native of the Netherlands with fluency in four languages, Winfred van Workum grew up in a family of restaurateurs, attending one of Europe’s top hotel management schools in the Hague. He has brought his international education and experience to some of the world’s finest hotels and restaurants, culminating in his current post as General Manager for Fearing’s Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. Open since August 2007, Fearing’s was named Esquire Magazine’s new “Restaurant of the Year" for 2007.

 

Winfred van Workum’s first hospitality assignment took him to Hamburg, Germany, where he managed banquets and restaurant and bar operations for the five-star Le Meridien hotel. Subsequent management offers took him to Ireland’s Ferrycarrig Hotel in County Wexford and then on to the top-rated Hotel Sofitel in the Hague, where he added to his food and beverage resume by taking on the high-level demands of hotel management.

 

His love for America began when van Workum was invited to join the prestigious Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, serving as head captain for Restaurant L’Escalier. The young European’s knowledge and experience in the wine sector allowed him to provide wine education courses for restaurant staff while he trained in managerial duties that ultimately set him up for a move back to Europe as Director of Operations for the Rixt group of restaurants.

 

In 2002, van Workum returned to the United States, becoming Food and Beverage Manager for the Mobil Five Star, AAA Five Diamond St. Regis resort in Dana Point, California. Van Workum gained renewed attention from The Breakers, and he ultimately was invited to return to Palm Beach to serve as General Manager for L’Escalier and the Tapestry Bar. Under his leadership, L’Escalier enjoyed an acclaimed revival and the awarding of a AAA Five Diamond rating and Wine Spectator’s Grand Award. He also added to his portfolio by directing operations for the resort’s Flagler Steakhouse and Ocean Clubhouse.

 

When Chef Dean Fearing happened to meet van Workum in 2006, he knew he had a future manager in his sights. He invited van Workum to join him in Dallas for the long-anticipated opening of Fearing’s, and the two worked together to open the restaurant in August, 2007. Van Workum currently directs all dining and beverage outlet operations for Fearing’s, a seven-setting restaurant that has received global acclaim for its cuisine, service and design. In his present position, van Workum is in charge of development, implementation and operation for four dining rooms, an exclusive private dining space, two bars and lounges, Afternoon Tea and outside catering. He and his team have been nominated for a Ritz-Carlton best-practice award for achieving the “Best Restaurant Pre-Opening in The Ritz-Carlton” portfolio of 70 hotels and resorts, and he now supervises a staff of more than 120 employees.

A Dallas native, Alex Aland joins Fearing’s as Maitre d’ bringing with him all of the knowledge and experience of his dynamic background with the influence of his very talented aunt in her restaurants in Hawaii and Wolfgang Puck’s very talented teams and the personality to overcome adversity, translating into his incredible work ethic and dedication to his job.

Dallas native Alex Aland joins Fearing’s as Maitre d’, bringing all the knowledge and experience of a dynamic background in the hospitality industry. Aland has overcome adversity and attained a strong, dedicated work ethic through the influence of the important people in his life, from his Hawaii-based restaurateur aunt Bev Gannon to Wolfgang Puck’s talented teams.

Alex grew up in the restaurant business, working in multiple capacities in his aunt Bev Gannon’s Maui restaurant, Haliimaile General Store, from the age of eight years old. His multifaceted experience gave him broad insight in the restaurant business, and he even found time to bake cheesecakes with his cousin, famous pastry chef Theresa Gannon. Surrounded by talented family and coworkers, Alex received approached his role in the family restaurant as an opportunity to receive the most extensive training possible.

Alex left the family restaurant to discover himself and to explore his potential. Upon graduating from high school in Dallas, inspired by his talented aunt Bev, he studied for and received a Restaurant-Hotel Management degree. Soon after, Alex returned to Maui, where he tackled every possible front-of-the-house position at Haliimaile General Store. Alex was also privileged to take part in Hawaii’s most exclusive offsite catering program, offering personalized service at unique parties in many exotic locales.

Alex’s growing appreciation for wine inspired him to seek out an education as a sommelier. Two of the world’s 130 master sommeliers, Chuck Furuah and Roberto Viernes, took Alex under their wings and helped him develop his knowledge and aptitude. Alex found great pleasure in his immersion in the wine world, and learned the thrill of drinking good wine among great people. Alex came to understand that the more you learn about wine, the less you know – and this challenge inspires him to continue studying to this day.

After moving his way up to Assistant General Manager Haliimaile General Store, Alex was challenged again by his Aunt Bev to explore new opportunities and learn from other people. He set out on his own and was hired as a captain at Spago in Maui, learning the operations aspect of the restaurant from the ground up. His experience in catering and banquet events positioned him to be quickly promoted to a banquet manager position.

Before long, Alex returned to the family business as the operations manager. A serious car accident soon left Alex unable to work for 11 months. This trying time contributed to Alex’s life, teaching him to take nothing for granted and to value every day and every person in his life. When he was able to return to work, he took on the role of general manager, running all the operational aspects of Haliimaile General Store. He ran one of the best wine programs on the island and raised revenue by $250,000, even though he was still unable to work the floor.

In 2007 Alex decided to venture away from the family business on his own and was presented with the opportunity to work with Dean Fearing in his new restaurant. In his position as Maitre d’, Alex seeks to make every guest’s experience at Fearing’s a memorable one, and alongside local vendors and Sommelier Paul Botamer, to introduce Dallas to the amazing boutique wines the world has to offer.

Justin Beam

Born in McKinney, Texas to a Southern Baptist Minister father and a school teacher mother who met at a revival, it is evident that Justin Beam did not grow up with the pleasures of alcohol which would one day be his destined career. The mixologist grew up committed to organized sports like baseball and football and at the age of 15, took his first position in the industry bussing tables and expediting at a breakfast-only restaurant near his home to save enough money for his first car.

 

From bussing tables Beam skipped bartending school and jumped right on board with some of the mixology world's greats: Dale DeGroff, Doug Frost, Steven Olson and George Delgado. Beam worked his way up to the position of Beverage Director at M Crowd Restaurant Group in Dallas where he was involved in the day-to-day operations of 24 restaurants throughout Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and Kansas City. Beam was responsible for the development of the entire beverage program and able to work with two of the most influential men in the Dallas restaurant scene, and two of his biggest mentors: owner Michael "Mico" Rodriguez and Executive Chef Chris Ward.  Justin also spent a year and a half as Beverage Director for James Beard award-winning chef and Bravo TV’s Top Chef personality Tom Colicchio, opening Craft Steak in New York’s famed Gansevoort Market and Craft Restaurant at the W Dallas-Victory Hotel, where his cocktail menus and wine lists were constantly attracting rave reviews.

 

Beam's creativity, knowledge, and skill have helped him to craft extremely successful cocktail programs.  His menus are always sophisticated and playful, with drinks that tell their own imaginative story with fresh ingredients and attention to detail.  Keeping abreast of trends in the cocktail market are what have made Beam’s menus and style so imaginative – currently including muddling, the use of fresh fruit, rum and brown spirits – the most popular trends at the moment.  Beam prides himself on bringing the best new things to Dallas as well as creating new trends.  Beam is always pushing boundaries.  “New cocktails take imagination, research, and dedication to trying something over and over until you get it right.  It is also important to look back at old recipes that worked and figuring out why. The key is balance,” states Beam.

 

Beam’s hard work and great talent has not gone unnoticed.  As the recipient of the 2007 StarChefs Rising Star Bar Chef Award, he has established himself as one of the best in Dallas, making his mark nationally with his notorious menus and hard work.  Justin currently holds the position of Beverage Director at Dean Fearing’s Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas which was named Esquire Magazine’s 2007 “Restaurant of the Year” and nominated as one of the “Best New Restaurants 2008” by the James Beard Foundation.

 

Beam strives for success because it directly relates to happiness. An aspiring dream is to eventually own his own restaurant or bar, a small intimate place not an empire like the many he has worked hard to make so successful.

Celebrated chef Joel Harrington serves as chef de cuisine for Fearing’s Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. The popular California chef joined the pre-opening Dallas property from The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, where he was in charge of Restaurant 162 and worked in earlier culinary positions at the AAA Five Diamond resort’s acclaimed Terrace Restaurant. He also has worked under Chef Marcus Samuelson, the James Beard award-winning chef of Aquavit in New York. “I feel it’s important to understand the work you are asking your staff to do,” says Harrington of the numerous roles he has played in the kitchen. “Having spent time doing many of their jobs, it truly is easier for me to help them hone their skills.”

For those with an appetite for great flavor, Joel Harrington’s artful use of herbs, spices and the freshest of local ingredients are already a menu highlight of Fearing’s at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. Harrington’s cuisine offers an acclaimed blend of Asian techniques and flavors with seasonal regional ingredients that highlight fresh fish, seafood and produce in particular.

“I enjoy the creativity of regional cuisine and love adding Asian influences to dishes,” says Chef Harrington, who is also known for his minimalist faux-hawk coiffure. “Asian cooking offers many sweet and spicy combinations that pair very well with fish and seafood. Basically, my cuisine is all about fresh ingredients and seasonal products, with a lot of creativity and a little bit of spice.”

Harrington began his career at age 15, working as a fry cook in a family-owned restaurant in Vermont, and he has been cooking ever since. He attended the Culinary Institute of America and spent six years at Five Spice Café, an eclectic Asian restaurant in Vermont. While in Vermont, he developed his love for the sweet and spicy flavors found in Asian cuisine and for the pure maple syrup indigenous to that state.

“I use maple syrup in many different ways because of its versatility. It’s not overpowering, and it ties flavors together really well,” explains Harrington. “Haricots verts are wonderful when sautéed in a little maple syrup. Marinate a rib eye in maple syrup and Sriracha chili sauce, or what people refer to as rooster sauce, and you have a steak that offers a lot of depth, not just heat,” he adds.

When not in the kitchen, Joel Harrington is an avid baseball fan. At age six he saw Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in the World Series game between the Yankees and the Dodgers. “I’ve loved my Yankees ever since,” he exclaims.

Native Texan Eric Dreyer was born in Houston and reared in Dallas, but the pursuit of a culinary career led him to California at the young age of 20. Selected to work for several high-profile Southern California catering firms, Dreyer also enrolled in the California School of Culinary Art in Pasadena, coincidentally home to the nearby Ritz-Carlton, Huntington. In 1999, he was invited to work with the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company, rotating through a variety of culinary departments to master his craft.

In 2001, a five-million-dollar renovation and new concept were brought to Jer-Ne Restaurant at The Ritz Carlton, Marina del Rey, and Dreyer was invited to become sous chef for the famed establishment. His position brought him into close collaboration with celebrated chef and James Beard award-winner Troy Thompson, and Jer-ne was quickly named best fusion restaurant in Los Angeles for 2003. The next year, Chef Dreyer was given the opportunity to re-launch another AAA Four Diamond property, joining The Ritz-Carlton, Dearborn. During his tenure at the Michigan luxury hotel, the regional American fare of “The Grill” was blended with other global influences to become one of greater Detroit’s top ten restaurants.

With the opportunity to return to his Texas roots in 2005, Dreyer became Chef de Cuisine for the Grand Hyatt DFW, along the way being nominated by The Ritz-Carlton as “Rising Young Chef” for 2004 and being awarded the “Grand Hyatt Rising Star Award” for 2005.

In 2007, Dreyer was recruited to the pre-opening team for Fearing’s at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, where he now serves as Executive Sous Chef for the multi-venue restaurant.

Jill Bates’ childhood home was filled with the joy of cooking. Her father’s fried chicken was nothing short of magic, and she still dreams of the remarkable crust on her grandmother’s beef Wellington. It is therefore no surprise that the young Texan chose to study Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management at Texas Tech University, taking pleasure, while there, in cooking for her roommates and friends.

After graduating from Texas Tech in 1994, Jill Bates headed west to earn a degree in Culinary Arts at San Francisco’s California Culinary Academy. Remaining in the city afterwards, she worked at the acclaimed Moa Room, wearing multiple hats while serving as a pastry, pantry and line cook. While in San Francisco, she also fell passionately in love with creative desserts and decided to return to Texas to become a pastry chef in her own right.

Bates launched her Texas career as Assistant Pastry Chef for culinary legend Dean Fearing, advancing later to a Pastry Chef role at Dallas’ Dragonfly restaurant. She opened not only Dragonfly but also Craft Restaurant in Dallas, serving as Assistant Pastry Chef until joining the pre-opening team of Fearing’s and The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. The recipient of multiple awards for culinary and managerial excellence, she appreciates the basic fundamentals of cooking, product quality and the craft of cooking. She also has a strong passion for the creative side of desserts, and this translates into a uniquely memorable dining experience for guests of Fearing’s and The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas.

“What an amazing and exciting opportunity to work with Dean Fearing again,” says Chef Bates. “I love creating memorable desserts for the restaurant, using fresh, seasonal, local products while adding fun twists and a funky flair to long-time favorites.”


“My favorite ingredients are vanilla bean, fresh ginger, wine and cherries”, adds the popular young chef. “I could put them in anything.” They were the topping for my grandmother’s amazing mini-cheesecakes,” she recalls. As a result, early guests of Fearing’s have already enjoyed a choice of seasonal dessert specialties that include Bates’ own Texas Peach Vanilla Bean Custard Upside-Down Tart with Chilled Peach Soup, as well as a Rich Chocolate Cake with Warm Bing Cherries, Crispy Cookies and Dark Chocolate Sauce.

Growing up in Ohio, Cindy Falatic’s early inspiration in the kitchen came from her grandmother.  Before she was old enough to attend school, she was helping pinch pierogi’s and fill nut rolls in her grandmother’s kitchen.  During her early years Cindy pursued her creative side which took her to Kent State as a photography major.  It wasn’t until after college that her interest in baking really developed.  Just starting out, money was tight, so for holiday gifts, she decided to bake Christmas cookies.  The look of gratitude on people’s faces when they received these gifts is what made her want to make desserts for a living.

 

Life took her to Philadelphia and her interest in desserts took her to The Restaurant School.  She enrolled in pastry classes to meet people and learn about food.  It was there that she discovered her passion for the pastry arts!  Inspired to tie her two loves together – art and food -- she took a food styling workshop with Delores Custer in New York at the New School at Parsons. 

 

Deciding to make a career of her passion, Cindy went to Le Cordon Bleu in London, doing an externship at the prestigious Claridge's Hotel.  Upon returning to the states, she began her career with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.  She accepted an entry level cook position in the pastry shop at The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland, under the guidance of Chef Elliott Callahan.  The knowledge and experience she gained set up her to assume the responsibility of running the shop after only two and a half years.  Cindy soon found herself presented with two wonderful opportunities to advance – taking a higher position at her current job and moving to Texas to help open
The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas and work under Chef Dean Fearing. 

 

As the Assistant Pastry Chef at Fearing’s, she has had the opportunity to work with a dynamic culinary team.  Working closest with Fearing’s Pastry Chef Jill Bates, she has gained vast knowledge of how to use the freshest local produce and dairy in creating the finest desserts.

 

When not at work Cindy finds her new climate conducive to some of her favorite activities, which include running and cycling.  While she has always been active, her profession now warrants consistent physical activity outside of work.  Cindy runs four miles every morning before heading to the restaurant for a busy day.  Who says you can't trust a skinny pastry chef?