Kenneth Benson was born in Norwalk, CT and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1971. He did his apprenticeship in country clubs and restaurants in Fairfield County, CT and Westchester County, NY working as pantry man, garde manger, and sous chef for three years.

For the next many years, Ken entered into partnerships in several restaurants and food service establishments in White Plains, NY. He even appeared on The Mike Douglas Show in 1981 making peanut butter pie and won first place in the Westchester County chili bake off! After working as the chef/manager for Host American in Trumbull, CT for 14 years, Chef Benson moved to Austin in 2005. He was the chef/owner of Pete Fumo’s Italian Restaurant in Manor, TX from 2009-2011.

Chef Benson has been married for 38 years to his wife, Patti, and they have two sons, one daughter, and one grandchild. He enjoys golf and travelling when he’s not in the kitchen.