Beckett, a young talent with a long resume, has opened as many as 14 restaurants since graduating from culinary school. Most recently, he held the position of executive chef at Trader Vic's at Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale (2005-07). He was also part of the opening team for the hotel’s Cafe ZuZu during the same time. Earlier, he owned a private catering and consulting company in Phoenix from 2003-2005. He was the corporate executive chef for Scottsdale’s Bottomline Hospitality Group, where he was responsible for all day- to-day kitchen operations, research and development, and creation of marketable events and promotion.
Beckett is a protégé of Roy Yamaguchi and credits the development of his culinary inspiration from Roy's "fusion" style. He held the position of sous chef and later executive chef at Roy's Restaurants in Phoenix and Scottsdale, where he played an integral part of the management team that opened both restaurants. As research and development chef earlier in his career, Beckett also opened Thaifoon, another Scottsdale restaurant, where he conceptualized menu development and contributed to kitchen design.
Beckett is a graduate of California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and holds a degree in Occupational Studies, with a Culinary Arts major. He has held cooking classes for multiple cooking schools and cooking stores, including Scottsdale Culinary Institute, William-Sonoma, Sur la Table, as well as in-home private lessons.