Meet the Executive Chef

Executive Chef John Benjamin

Executive Chef Benjamin is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, where he began honing his formidable culinary skills. He has worked with such world-renowned chefs as Thomas Keller, Charles Palmer and John Halligan. His style reflects his study of their individual techniques and the experience that he gained in the kitchens of Aureole in New York, The French Laundry in California, and the Hyatt Regency in Connecticut.

After many years of working for some of the finest restaurants in the country, he moved on to further refine and expand his repertoire of skills as a chef in his own right at upscale restaurants featuring Irish, Bistro and American fare. Benjamin defines his cuisine as Progressive American. He has also been involved in the opening of several prestigious restaurants including the Lenox Room in New York City, the Tibwin Grill in Connecticut, and Restaurant Latour in New Jersey, where his achievements were recognized by the Star Ledger (“Four Stars”) and the New York Times (“Excellent“).

In the years 2004 and 2013, Chef John Benjamin and his team were honored with an invitation to showcase their skills at the prestigious James Beard Foundation dinner events, and he received rewards for outstanding contributions to the Foundation.

Chef Benjamin’s past activities and contributions include La Chaine Des Rotisseurs, JBWS Grand Tastings, Great Performances-Wall Street, USDA Forest Service, NJ Chefs Tableside Dinner, and Société Culinaire Philanthropique.

Today, Chef Benjamin’s style reflects his desire for perfection and creating the ultimate tasting experience with every dish he prepares. His philosophy is to keep it simple and based upon seasonal fresh sustainable products, quality ingredients and locally sourced “farms to forks.”