ABOUT US

ABOUT WORKSHOP KITCHEN + BAR

Located in the historic El Paseo Building in Uptown Palm Springs Design District on North Palm Canyon Drive, Workshop has been one of the most popular destinations in Palm Springs since opening in 2011. In a city known for its beautiful landscapes, eccentric modernism, celebrity residents and stunning architecture, Palm Springs has been a destination for locals and travelers seeking a smartly refined getaway.

Helmed by Chef/Owner Michael Beckman, along with partner Joseph Mourani, the 2015 James Beard Award winning restaurant for best restaurant design features a market-driven menu comprised of seasonal food highlights harvested from local farms and offers a bar program unlike any other desert establishment.

For a contemporary experience in the dining room or a leisurely meal under the olive tree, Workshop in Palm Springs is the perfect desert dining destination.

THE TEAM

MICHAEL BECKMAN

Executive Chef, Co-Owner

A SoCal native, Michael Beckman has not only witnessed the drastic evolution of dining in Southern California, he has been instrumental in its course, joining rank with his Workshop Kitchen + Bar.

Beckman’s love of the table began as a student at the University of San Francisco, where the city long revered for its culinary scene made a marking impression on him at a young age. Michael spent three years in fairly rigorous front-of-the-house training programs at Kuleto’s and Il Fornaio, where he’d take notes from line up and conversations with chefs and reproduce the dishes at home. His affinity for wine and of European regional cooking followed suite. Read more about Michael

In 2000, Michael earned his B.A. at U.S.F. and decided to dive head first into French cooking. He landed in Geneva, Switzerland, where for 2 years he cooked at an eclectic centre ville bistro, a traditional countryside French restaurant near Geneva’s vineyards, and at a sushi hot spot honing his knife skills as a fishmonger.

Determined to join the brigades of a 3 Michelin-star restaurant, Michael saw Lyon’s prestigious L’Institute Paul Bocuse as a gateway to the next level. He spent the next two years under the wing of four Meilleur Oeuvriers de France instructors at IBP, as well as apprenticing at Burgundy’s 3 Michelin-star “Lameloise”, before landing a Chef de Partie position with Ritz Carlton, Berlin where he cooked under chef Thomas Kellermann (of Munich’s Tantris and of Kastell at Hotel Burg Wernberg).

Chef’s return to California led to a series of elite private chef positions in Beverly Hills, Las Vegas and Rancho Mirage, where his drive to source the absolute best ingredients for his clients and prepare them simply helped focus his locally sourced, distinct style of cooking. Shopping the farmers’ markets each week and keeping pace with restaurant trends led in many ways to his vision of Workshop.

Since 2012, Beckman’s first brick and mortar concept Workshop Kitchen + Bar has had a major impact on the community’s dining scene, hitting the mark with his seasonal cooking, contemporary and classic cocktails, and award winning design, contributing to a re-branded Palm Springs desert chic. The London-based Restaurant and Bar Design Awards crowned Workshop #1 in the US for 2013; Sunset magazine featured Workshop as an Editor’s Pick; Zagat includes Workshop in its Top 9 in greater Palm Springs; Thrillist named the restaurant in their Top 47 Restaurant & Bars in LA, as well as their Top 12 Best SoCal Restaurants Not in LA or OC. Workshop has also garnered attention from Wallpaper Magazine, Dwell Magazine, Palm Springs Life Magazine, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Architectural Record, Delta Sky Magazine, Eater LA, Thirsty In LA, Forbes Magazine and Bon Appetit. Show less

JOE MOURANI

Co-Owner

Coming soon.

DAVE CASTILLO

Bar Manager

Feeling that the word “mixologist,” is more of a fashion statement than a job title, Dave Castillo provides more than fifteen years’ experience as a bartender to his role as bar manager, serving up original and classic cocktails to complement the brunch and dinner menus at desert hotspot Workshop Kitchen + Bar.

At the age of 22, Castillo began working in restaurants. First in serving roles, he eventually became bartender at Pane e Vino in Brea, Calif. where he realized his passion for cocktail execution. He then worked at the Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim and 320 Main in Seal Beach, where he further refined his craft. Now bar manager at Palm Springs’ market-driven destination Workshop Kitchen + Bar, his experience behind the bar has led him to become a member of the United States Bartender Guild and a sommelier under the International Court of Master Sommeliers. Read more about Dave