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Episode #147 Ben “Benny Blanco” Whelan
My guest today started out as a food writer and did the unthinkable - He transitioned to the kitchen! He clearly found his voice in the making of food, yet didn’t lose his skills as a writer. Joining me today is chef Ben Whelan
Ben was born and raised in Boston MA and will always be a New Englander at heart. After getting his start as a food writer for Boston’s Weekly Dig, Ben was seduced by kitchen life and in short order transitioned from eating in the dining room to working behind the line. After stints working for Chef Michael Scelfo at the Russell House Tavern and Chef Chris Douglass at the historic Ashmont Grille, Ben set off for a year in San Juan, Puerto Rico to work for Chef Peter Schintler at Marmalade Restaurant. Upon returning stateside, he spent six months traveling and staging through some of the best kitchens on the West Coast before settling in Denver. After spending almost two years working under chef Frank Bonanno at Mizuna, and a short stint at Alex Seidel’s Fruition, Ben left the restaurant world to help build the Culinary QuickStart program at Emily Griffith Technical College. After two years of teaching, Ben set off for a year of cooking and traveling in Thailand, including a four month stage at Bo.Lan Restaurant in Bangkok, a 1-Star Michelin serving traditional Thai cuisine. Since returning to the US, and the COVID pandemic, Ben has been helping out in a number of kitchens around Denver while developing several projects of his own.
In early May, Ben will be opening Lunchboxx in the Denver Central Market in RiNo as the chef under Zach Spott (Greenseed, Brass Tacks). “We will be attempting to step into Sean Kelly’s enormous shoes in the SK Provisions space, slinging rotisserie meats, carefully curated sides, and classics like a dope signature cheeseburger and fried chicken sammy. Over the course of 2021, we’ll be adding a really fun brunch service as well as a craveable weekend late night menu. Also look for a Farang Thai pop-up to...pop-up serving a small menu of Thai street food favorites. Stay tuned for all of the developments, Denver, and we can’t wait to be feeding you soon! I will also be continuing my Thai pop-up series this summer, so check out @kitchenronin and @farangthaikitchen for updates on those!”
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By Eric ChiappettaMy guest today started out as a food writer and did the unthinkable - He transitioned to the kitchen! He clearly found his voice in the making of food, yet didn’t lose his skills as a writer. Joining me today is chef Ben Whelan
Ben was born and raised in Boston MA and will always be a New Englander at heart. After getting his start as a food writer for Boston’s Weekly Dig, Ben was seduced by kitchen life and in short order transitioned from eating in the dining room to working behind the line. After stints working for Chef Michael Scelfo at the Russell House Tavern and Chef Chris Douglass at the historic Ashmont Grille, Ben set off for a year in San Juan, Puerto Rico to work for Chef Peter Schintler at Marmalade Restaurant. Upon returning stateside, he spent six months traveling and staging through some of the best kitchens on the West Coast before settling in Denver. After spending almost two years working under chef Frank Bonanno at Mizuna, and a short stint at Alex Seidel’s Fruition, Ben left the restaurant world to help build the Culinary QuickStart program at Emily Griffith Technical College. After two years of teaching, Ben set off for a year of cooking and traveling in Thailand, including a four month stage at Bo.Lan Restaurant in Bangkok, a 1-Star Michelin serving traditional Thai cuisine. Since returning to the US, and the COVID pandemic, Ben has been helping out in a number of kitchens around Denver while developing several projects of his own.
In early May, Ben will be opening Lunchboxx in the Denver Central Market in RiNo as the chef under Zach Spott (Greenseed, Brass Tacks). “We will be attempting to step into Sean Kelly’s enormous shoes in the SK Provisions space, slinging rotisserie meats, carefully curated sides, and classics like a dope signature cheeseburger and fried chicken sammy. Over the course of 2021, we’ll be adding a really fun brunch service as well as a craveable weekend late night menu. Also look for a Farang Thai pop-up to...pop-up serving a small menu of Thai street food favorites. Stay tuned for all of the developments, Denver, and we can’t wait to be feeding you soon! I will also be continuing my Thai pop-up series this summer, so check out @kitchenronin and @farangthaikitchen for updates on those!”