Our Team

Stephen Beckta is President of the Beckta Restaurant Group that includes Beckta, one of Canada’s premier fine-dining restaurants, along with the critically acclaimed, small-plates Play food & wine, and the upscale Westboro neighbourhood restaurant Gezellig.

After graduating with honours from Algonquin College’s Sommelier program, Stephen departed Ottawa to hone his skills in New York City for four years with the top players in the restaurant industry. Stephen managed the wine programs and dining rooms at Café Boulud working for the celebrated chef Daniel Boulud, followed by two years with renowned restaurateur Danny Meyer at Eleven Madison Park before returning to his native city.

Beckta, Play and Gezellig have received glowing reviews in The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, The National Post and countless others, being applauded for their extraordinary hospitality and inspired cooking. Just two months after opening, enRoute Magazine rated Beckta dining & wine the fourth best new restaurant in Canada. Other accolades include nineteen consecutive CAA/AAA four-diamond awards as well as being named the #1 restaurant in Ottawa by Ottawa Magazine three years in a row. Beckta was named “Ottawa’s Signature Restaurant”, by the Ottawa Citizen, and has been on the Top 100 list of Best Restaurants in Canada four times, most recently in 2022.  Play was named “Favourite Fine Dining Restaurant” at the Ottawa Restaurant Awards, and Gezellig was said to “redefine the neighbourhood dining experience” in the Ottawa Citizen.

Stephen has personally contributed to his industry in many ways: sitting on the board of ORHMA, teaching at Algonquin College, sitting on the advisory committee for the Hospitality School at Algonquin College, mentoring dozens of burgeoning restaurant entrepreneurs and donating his time to various local and national causes whose values he shares.  He is most engaged with the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa, being an active member of board since 2011.

Professionally, Stephen has been named Top Independent Restaurateur in Ontario by the Ontario Hostelry Institute, won the National Terroir "Outstanding Service Professional" Award, won the Bill Joe Restaurateur of the Year Award in Ottawa by ORHMA, named one of Ottawa Life Magazine’s Top 50 people twice, one of Ottawa’s Top 40 under 40 by the Ottawa Business Journal and Algonquin College’s Alumni of the year, giving his college’s convocation address the same year.  He created & executed “Canada’s Table”, a 1000-person dinner at a single table in front of Parliament Hill for Canada’s 150th Anniversary celebrations, featuring 20 top chefs from across the country.

Clay Cardillo is the Managing Partner for Play, as well as for its sister restaurants Gezellig and Beckta Dining & Wine. Clay completed the Algonquin Culinary Program in 1998 before becoming the Sous Chef for LeMetro in Ottawa. From there Clay worked in the kitchens of the NAC and The Keg, and was soon promoted within The Keg to open restaurants as Kitchen Manager. Here he began to find that while he got into the business to work with food and wine, he enjoyed working with the people in the restaurants as much as the product. Before long, Clay was recruited by SirCorp, then a small Canadian restaurant corporation, to be the opening Kitchen Manager and then General Manager for a number of restaurants throughout Southern Ontario. After 9 years and soon after the birth of his first child, Clay left SirCorp to become Business Development Manager at Cara, where he helped owners develop their people and restaurants. In 2012, Clay joined the Beckta family of restaurants of Beckta dining & wine, Play food & wine and Gezellig, where he is happy to fulfill his passion for building business by driving hospitality.

For 13 years, Pieter served and managed at Ottawa’s Courtyard Restaurant. Along the way, he fell in love with two things. The first was the rewarding experience of looking after people. The second was all things wine. Both of these passions led him to become a graduate of Algonquin’s College’s Sommelier Program and earn a Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits from the WSET. First joining Beckta as Service Manager in 2006, Pieter became our Sommelier in 2008. Since then, he’s crafted a diverse wine list, which promotes delicious Canadian and international wines from great producers who make wine with a sense of place. Outside of Beckta, Pieter continues to spread the word about wine through his teaching at Algonquin College and his articles in Diplomat magazine.

From a young age Jordan developed a passion and appreciation for good food and the dining experience. His family enjoyed traveling and dining out but also made time everyday for delicious homemade meals. In 2001 he began his journey in the hospitality industry while doing post secondary education and quickly discovered where he belonged. Shortly after finishing his education he began studying wine at Algonquin college to hone his skills and advance in the industry. Since 2009 Jordan has been with the Beckta Restaurant group embracing their brand of hospitality and striving to create memorable dining experiences for all guests.

Chef Shane Brown began his career with Beckta in 2012 as a saucier. In just 18 months he rose to the role of Sous Chef and then Chef at Beckta in 2017. In 2020 he joined the team at Gezellig and led the kitchen until November 2021 when he joined Play Food & Wine as head Chef.

Following high school, Shane attended Culinary school at Fanshawe College and then furthered his education in gastronomy at Le Cordon Bleu. His career began at Farbs Kitchen in 2009 under the tutelage of Chef Micheal Farber where by 2012 he earned the distinctive role of Sous Chef. Chef Shane’s cooking style is inspired by the ingredient’s he uses, preferring to adapt dishes using Canadian products, indigenous ingredients as well as using indigenous techniques. Hospitality and a spirit of ‘welcome’ is always at the forefront of what Chef Shane does and is ever present in the way he runs his kitchen. He wants to ensure that everyone joining us in our restaurants are enjoying themselves and have a memorable experience. When he’s not at Play, Chef Shane Brown is passing down his love of food to his three daughters. Every day they make crepes together and he loves teaching them proper techniques like knife work and how to make fresh pasta.

Zac Doner is dedicated to making each of our guests' experience truly memorable.  For over a decade he has worked his way from support roles to management, with every step taken in between, to ensure he understands what it takes to provide world class hospitality.  With an extensive background in beer & spirits, he leads our quickly evolving cocktail program to new and exciting heights.  With each cocktail he strives to evoke an emotion or sense of place that can be transformative to the recipient.  Hospitality is at the center of everything Zac does at Play Food & Wine and is reflected through the team he leads.  When he is not at Play Food & Wine, you will find him exploring the best restaurants with his partner, hiking with his dogs, relaxing at his family cottage or snowboarding at a local ski resort.

Sam Brohman is a Stratford Culinary School graduate and an accomplished sous chef at Play in Ottawa, where he has worked since 2021. His culinary journey began with a high school co-op at Café 13 in Cambridge, which sparked his passion for the kitchen. After gaining invaluable experience at Charcoal Steakhouse in Kitchener, where he was promoted to junior sous chef, Sam refined his skills and developed his leadership abilities. Known for his creativity and hard work, Sam is passionate about seafood and Middle Eastern cuisine, and he aspires to one day cook on the coast, with New Zealand as his dream destination. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking at home with his girlfriend Faye, collecting cookbooks, and spending time outdoors.

Meet Moe! A spirited addition to Play, he's been on a delightful journey of mixology for 8 years, alongside nurturing his passion for wines and food. From soaking up wisdom at establishments such as North and Navy to steering the ship as a cocktail bar's general manager, Moe's journey is a mix of dedication and flair. He's all about elevating guest experiences, whether it's crafting the perfect cocktail or ensuring every taste bud is satisfied. With a knack for service and a flair for creativity, Moe's here to lend a helping hand and make every sip and bite an adventure.

James Le Fevre has been part of Beckta Hospitality's Play Food & Wine for three years, bringing a wealth of experience and a passion for the culinary arts. He began his career at Score Pizza, where he mastered every role in the restaurant, ultimately serving as interim General Manager and contributing to corporate training initiatives. His journey also includes time at Arturo’s, La Roma, and The Royal Oak on Beechwood, where he cultivated his skills and deepened his connection to food and hospitality. For James, the kitchen is both a creative playground and a lifelong classroom. He loves working with fresh, local ingredients to craft dishes that are as unique as they are delicious. His appreciation for food goes beyond taste—he sees it as a universal connector, a philosophy that fuels his culinary creativity.

Ryan Kelly, an Ontario native, brings with him over fifteen years of hotel and restaurant experience. He followed his dreams after high school graduation and moved to Whistler, British Columbia where he found fulfillment in the mountains and the outdoors. It was in Whistler that Ryan immersed himself in the world of hospitality, and quickly rose to the top of the highly competitive world of 5-star hotel and restaurant management.After many years in Whistler, Ryan decided to return home and found himself in Ottawa, dabbling in a real estate career. It was in Ontario that he met and married the love of his life, Kristie, and with her encouragement and support, returned to his passion in the restaurant sector where he has dedicated himself to the pursuit of excellence in food, wine and mixology.