Chef Bobby Benjamin

Bobby Benjamin's passion for the kitchen began at the age of thirteen, as his curiosities about the world of cuisine were awakened by a family who loved to cook together. He first learned the basics of preparing sauces, stocks and soups alongside his mother and father. Growing up in Rhode Island, he also learned various techniques of cooking some of the nation's best seafood from his grandparents. Most importantly, Bobby had the opportunity to observe that cooking brought joy to those around him. He had witnessed the amazing power of food and was impressed by its ability to make people happy and inspire them to come together to share a common experience. This realization drove Benjamin to pursue the path of a professional chef.

Chef Benjamin landed at Flyte World Dining & Wine (Nashville, TN) in October of 2006, after serving as Sous Chef under Chef Tyler Brown at the Mobil Four Star rated Capitol Grille, located in Nashville’s historic Hermitage Hotel. While at the Hermitage, Benjamin also worked under Chef Sean Brock, renowned for his achievements in the exploration of molecular gastronomy.

Prior to his employment at the Hermitage Hotel, Benjamin spent time expanding his knowledge and culinary experience working throughout the United States. He worked for and held stage positions at various nationally renowned restaurants, determined to expose himself to as much culinary knowledge, experience and technique as possible. Notably, he held a stage position at Spago Beverly Hills, under Chef Wolfgang Puck, and in Los Angeles he had the distinct honor of working for Chef Gino Angelini at La Terza.

Bobby credits the most influential and exciting time in his career to his experience at the AAA Five Diamond rated Oak Room, located in the Seelbach Hilton in Louisville, Kentucky. There he had the privilege of being mentored by four accomplished chefs: Chef Todd Richards, Chef Duane Nutter, Chef Matt Durham and Chef Laura Scullan. Benjamin studied under these diverse and talented chefs for two and a half years as they nurtured Benjamin's natural talents and fostered his dream to become a great chef of his own restaurant. Each of these talented individuals taught Benjamin a different skill set: Chef Richards and Chef Nutter taught him how to balance flavor and incorporate visual art into his cooking; Chef Durham exposed him to the business aspects of being a professional chef; and Chef Scullan taught him the resourcefulness necessary to run a kitchen.

As Executive Chef of Flyte, Benjamin is committed to using all natural, humanely raised, and organically grown ingredients in the creation of his menu. He strives to make every guest feel provided for, incorporating a balance of flavors for all palates and diets. Throughout his culinary career Benjamin has based his cooking upon the mantra: “the last bite is always as good as the first,” focusing all of his culinary passion and creativity into developing each dish into its own masterpiece.