Meet Ben
With humble beginnings in the small Northeastern state of Vermont, Benjamin grew up in an even smaller town composed of farmers and artisan workers. Throughout everyday life as a young child, he grew up learning the values of the conservation of natural resources and sustainable living. Then, through hunting and foraging as an adolescent, those core values only deepened. His high school years mark the beginning of his journey into the food world with him as a pizza cook. It was here where he started to gain a deep interest in any and all things culinary.
After graduating high school, he attended the University of Vermont where he pursued a degree in Plant and Soil Science, a course focused on permaculture and sustainable practices. While on this pursuit, he was able to interact directly with farmers of all sorts and truly see the value in what those relationships bring to the table. During his time at UVM, Ben helped open a pizza restaurant with his long-time boss from high school. He ran the place and built it up for two years before the restaurant was sold. Still needing funds to complete his degree, he then started working at a fine dining establishment called Tilley’s Cafe. There he worked his way up the culinary ranks, from line cook to sous chef, all while attending college full time. The culmination of all his hard work paid off, both when he graduated college and when he became executive chef of Tilley’s Cafe. However here is where he came to a crossroads. Should he pursue a job in the field pertaining to his degree or should he continue to learn and grow as a chef? It was then he decided to put the plant business on the back burner to let his career as a chef continue to take shape. Even though he chose to continue on the restaurant side of things, Ben never forgot his roots and what having a close connection with farmers, foragers, and mongers alike can produce.
After running Tilley’s cafe for two and a half years, Ben wasn’t done growing and his mind was set on bigger things. So, he decided to take his show on the road and move to San Francisco to follow his culinary dreams. A short time later, he got a job as sous chef at a more intimate high end restaurant. Located in the Mission District of San Francisco, Barbambino was where he would hone his skills under Chef Elizabeth Binder, while cooking up strictly authentic Italian based cuisine. Barbambino encompassed the ideals and core ethics Ben had learned and held close as a child. Here they butchered and used the whole animal, cooked everything from scratch and took care of every fava bean like their life depended on it. So, he engulfed himself in this culture and fully accepted what the Italians had been doing for centuries. Elizabeth was, and still is, an amazing inspiration to him. The more they worked together the more they started to mirror each other. In 2011, when Lizzy was chosen for Season 10 of Top Chef, Ben was given the reins and named Executive Chef of Barbambino. Sadly, on New Years Eve of 2012, the owners of the restaurant decided to permanently close the doors for a myriad of reasons, and Ben was left to his own devices.
So then in April of 2012, with sun on the horizon, Ben moved to Italy. He lived and apprenticed at Le Caffanne, a small trattoria tucked away in the mountains separating Umbria and Le Marche. Here the ideals and practices from all his past experiences just seemed to be naturally ingrained in the culture. Each house was practically self-sustaining, with raising chickens in the backyard being a common practice. Knowledge of where to get the best ingredients and how to prepare them was constantly shared amongst the community, unless you were taking tartuffo (heh heh). There he lived and worked for four and a half months before returning to the US.
After returning and spending the rest of the year as a contract chef working various gigs, Ben felt the travel bug wasn’t dead and he knew that there was a lot more to see. So, he set his sights on Spain and started in Barcelona. Once there he traveled and studied everything Spanish, all the while cooking all around the country. It was during this time that Ben got to truly appreciate the similarities between the Spanish and Italian cultures while relishing the differences that afforded him new opportunities for learning. In the four months before returning to the San Francisco Bay Area, he was able to visit many small farms and meet sustainably-minded people while living in various communities.
Upon returning to The Bay, his goal was to utilize his studies, travel experiences and culinary expertise and put them in motion. As with many things in his life, the stars aligned just right and thus was born, Gambrel & Co. your local craft butchery in the heart of The Peninsula’s Redwood City. Offering everything from all natural grass-fed beef to heritage pork, pasture raised chickens, whole Peking ducks and whole butchered lamb, he partners with local farmers and ranchers who use the most sustainable, all natural and ethical approaches to offer nothing but the best quality meats and eggs. Those same meats are what he expertly utilizes to make a delicious variety of house made sausages. Cooking up some of his tried and tested recipes he learned on his adventures, plus a family recipe or two, he also serves up some ready made gourmet treats waiting for you to heat and eat. Whether it’s the duck confit, great grandma’s gumbo or his signature beef bolognese, everyone can taste the love and passion he puts into everything he creates. Remembering the importance of knowing your farmer, Ben gives you the assurance and guidance needed for the experience of a true craft butchery.