Meet Benjamin Baron | Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Benjamin Baron and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Benjamin, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
The principle that matters most to me is respect. At its core, entrepreneurship is about relationships — with your team, your customers, your community. I believe respect is what makes those relationships meaningful and lasting. It means listening as much as leading, valuing diverse perspectives, and treating people’s time and energy with care. Respect creates trust, and trust is what allows businesses to grow in a sustainable, human way. Without it, success is shallow and short-lived.

As a chef, respect shows up in the way you treat yourself, your guests, and your ingredients. It means sourcing intentionally, minimizing waste, supporting local producers — and, of course, putting out food that tastes damn good. When respect is your foundation, you not only elevate your craft, but you also honor the bounty and community that make it possible.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
For me, food is more than just fuel — it’s culture, it’s community. I’m working on an immersive dinner project for the fall FAMILY MEAL that hopes to blend both.

I’m most proud of is the fact that I’ve built this path on my own terms. I’ve worked in plenty of tough kitchens and seen the darker side of this industry — long hours, burnout, lack of respect. It definitely wasn’t easy. But those challenges forced me to grow, to find my own voice, and to build a way of working that actually feels sustainable and meaningful.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that your craft only thrives when you take care of yourself and respect the people around you. Without that, you burn out and the art loses its soul.

What I want the world to know about my work is this: I’m not just putting out plates, I’m building experiences that connect people and honor community. My brand is rooted in respect — for ingredients, for people, and for the culture of food itself. And if you leave my table with a full belly and a deeper appreciation for what’s possible when food is treated as art, then I’ve done my job.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting LA for a week, I’d make sure they got a real taste of the city — literally and figuratively.

Day 1: Start in my neighborhood Los Feliz with breakfast at a cozy spot like Alcove, then wander around Griffith Park and take in the views from the Observatory. Dinner would be something casual — maybe a taco crawl down Sunset into Echo Park.

Day 2: Morning coffee at Maru, then brunch at Sqirl to fuel up. A hipster Tuesday. Afternoon: check out street art and hit Hauser & Wirth galleries in the Arts District. Dinner at Bavel. Cap it with drinks at a rooftop bar like Perch for skyline views.

Day 3: Hit the coast — start with the Santa Monica Farmers market to pickup my order of Silk Road nectarines from Andy’s Orchard. Take a quick tour of the Venice Boardwalk and Muscle Beach. Hit Tsujita or Nanbankan before we head back to the east side.

Day 4: Take a chill day — hit Wii Spa and walk around K-town, eventually getting into some day drinking at the Prince or HMS Bounty. Dinner & Soju at Dang Sung Sa.

Day 5: Explore DTLA’s markets, galleries, and pop-up experiences. Lunch at Happies handmade for tallow fries and soft-serve. Dinner at Camelia — the arts district is filled with restaurants taht make you excited about what’s possible in food.

Day 6: Head to Pomona to catch a drive in movie before doing some thrifting, love have Crossroads and so many options here in LA. Hopefully there are some signs we can follow to an estate sale. Hit York for some more shopping before grabbing dinner at Wildcrust or Checker Hall.

Day 7: Wrap up with brunch at mine, a stroll around hillhurst and drinks at Mirate to toast the week. I’d want them leaving LA feeling inspired, full, and relaxed with a sense of the city’s energy and creativity.

The thing about LA is that it’s full of people doing amazing things — chefs, artists, musicians, small-business owners — and you just have to know where to look. I’d want my friend to feel that pulse, see the unexpected, and leave knowing the city isn’t just Hollywood and beaches — it’s a living, breathing community of creators.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First off, I’ve got to shout out my fiancée — and future wife (we’re getting married next month). She’s been the one to help me prioritize my own needs and my time, which any chef or entrepreneur knows is not easy. She believes in me, calls me out when I need it, and keeps me grounded in the middle of all the chaos.

Beyond that, I want to recognize the community of chefs who are out there putting themselves on the line and asking more from this industry. It takes guts to demand better conditions, push for creativity, and stand up for community-driven food. Watching other chefs fight for change keeps me sharp and reminds me that this work is bigger than just one kitchen — it’s about shifting the culture for everyone

Website: https://humblebens.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollandaised.and.confused__/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baron-benjamin-b53230190/

Image Credits
Robertas Photo – Brandon Harmon
Red Striped Shirt – Cathreine Dzilneski
Pickles & Kimchi – Augusto Piccio