Chef Martin Lackovic

Chef Martin Lackovic grew up in South Park, PA., a small town just south of Pittsburgh.  While growing up, his parents owned and operated a restaurant, and as a young boy on weekends and summer breaks Martin helped his mother in the kitchen. Martin recalls during this time that his mother would make a deal with him, “I could be paid $5.00 for the shift or I could keep any tips she made while waiting tables. I always choose the $5.00, back then it was unlikely that she would clear that all day.”

After graduating high school, Martin attended Bowling Green State University of Ohio on a wrestling scholarship and studied restaurant and foodservice management.  After earning his degree, he worked in Detroit, Ann Arbor and Toledo before landing a job with Marriott Corporation in Washington, DC. After spending two years with Marriott he questioned his interest in cooking and returned to school at the University of Maryland to study Microbiology with an eye toward heading to medical school.  After two years working at the Walter Reed Institute of Research, Martin realized that he truly missed cooking and decided to return to the kitchen. He hasn’t looked back since that day.

After working at several different restaurants in the Washington, DC area, Martin accepted the position as Sous-Chef at I Matti Trattoria in May of 1992.  Three months later Martin took over as Executive Chef, a position he served in for five years.  During his tenure at this renowned Italian trattoria in Adams Morgan, Martin had the opportunity to travel and work in Torino, Italy, at the prestigious Ristorante Del Cambio.

While still at I Matti, Martin received an intriguing offer to work for a season as the chef of a wild game safari camp in South Africa.  Always one for an adventure, Martin accepted. On the game reserve, he hunted game daily and prepared it for the camps guests.  At the end of the season, Martin wasn’t ready to return to the United States.  Instead, he traveled to Cape Town, S.A., and worked at the famous La Perla in prestigious Sea Point.  Later, and still eager to experience new locations, he accepted an offer to open a restaurant in nearby Stellenbosch, an area akin to Napa Valley in the United States, called the Wijnhuis.  After a stint in wine country, Martin took the long way home, traveling and working in London, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Turkey before eventually returning to Washington, D.C.

Upon returning, Martin worked as Sous Chef at Galileo Restaurant and later was appointed Executive Chef.  Martin led the kitchen team at Galileo through the 2000-2001 seasons.  Thereafter, Martin took on the position as Executive Chef at the Caucus Room, and later at the Blue Sea Grill in Baltimore.

Wanting a break from the daily grind of the restaurant scene Martin took a few years off and worked as a freelance catering chef, honing his skills and biding his time looking for the perfect opportunity.  Again, however, his love of the restaurant kitchen beckoned him home. In early 2008, Martin teamed with brothers Keram and Mehdi Dris and formed the core of the concept that would eventually lead to Siroc Restaurant.

Keram & Mehdi Dris

With the opening of Siroc Restaurant, co-owners and brothers Keram and Mehdi Dris bring over 15 years of experience in some of Washington, D.C.'s finest restaurants.  Their attention to detail, warm hospitality, and unique ability to make clients feel as if they are part of the Siroc family are the keys to their success.

Prior to opening Siroc Restaurant, Keram and Mehdi Dris provided impeccable service and outstanding dining experiences featuring both Italian and French cuisine.  In the realm of Italian cuisine, Mehdi spent time at Dolcetto and Cesco Trattoria, and Keram was with I Matti Trattoria, where the brothers met renowned chef Martin Lackovic.  During that time, Keram and Mehdi developed an appreciation for the art of blending classic Northern Italian cuisine with contemporary innovation and improvisation.

True to their francophone roots, the Dris brothers also served Washington, D.C. patrons with Provencal and Alsatian cuisine at Le Lavandou and Le Caprice Restaurants, where they developed a passion for fine dining and refined their talent for providing superior service.

Bringing Siroc's unique blend of modern and Italian cuisine to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area has been both a dream and a labor of love for the Dris brothers.  They look forward to providing patrons with an intimate and memorable dining experience, at the cozy candlelit tables in the winter, as well as in the sunny park-side patio in warm weather.