Cayman Sinclair of The Lakehouse
ROSY SUNSETS. A BEAUTIFUL LAKEFRONT VISTA. Cool breezes. The tranquil atmosphere that surrounds the two-story Greek revival plantation that is now home to The Lakehouse makes it the perfect setting for any occasion or special event. The Mandeville site is long remembered as the home of Bechac’s, a family-owned and -operated restaurant that occupied the space for more than a century. “It was the Commander’s Palace of the northshore,” says Lakehouse owner Cayman Sinclair. “I ate here as a boy. We used to come for the fried chicken and soft-shelled crabs.” Born in New Orleans, Sinclair came to the northshore with his family in 1965. After college, he worked at The Dakota Restaurant in Covington until he opened Louisiana Grill with his brothers. In 2009, Sinclair left Louisiana Grill, leased the stately old lakefront property and began the realization of his dream to cater special events. “I had always wanted this building to do events,” says Sinclair. “We were really successful with parties, and then the spill happened.” A 2008 FEMA contract in the wake of a Texas hurricane launched Sinclair’s off-site catering service. This experience with disaster relief landed him a contract with BP and the U.S. Environmental Group to make 1,200 meals a day for seven months at staging and cleaning sites from as close as Fort Pike to the Mississippi border. The resulting surplus of catering equipment and fleet in the wake of the disaster led Sinclair to take on catering projects for the growing Hollywood presence in Louisiana. “Feeding a film crew is much more challenging,” he says with a laugh. “We’ve learned a lot about food from the experience. They have specific ideas and concepts that they bring here from California.” The result has been more local sourcing of vegetables, chicken and soon, beef, for the restaurant, in addition to a number of new dishes on the menu. “The Pork and Portobello Cannelloni and the Roasted Butternut Squash with Orzo Pasta and Gruyere Cheese have been really popular,” says Sinclair. The fall menu will include Mulligatawny Soup, which both Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley especially liked. For now, you can look forward to enjoying the view in the cool fall weather. A newly-expanded patio and outdoor seating section will re-open in October, including a new oyster grill. Stay tuned for more infromation about the upcoming party season. Call ahead for hours of availability. The Lakehouse is open for special events. Reservations are recommended; call 626-3006. For special events, call 807-5014. Visit the Lakehouse’s Facebook page or lakehousecuisine.com. 162
Inside Northside
by Amanda Westbrooks
photo: FIELDING PHOTOGRAPHY
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