Skip Navigation
Ben Eisendrath

Ben Eisendrath

Ben Eisendrath is the president of Grillworks Inc., maker of Grillery wood-fired grills. Early Grillworks grills were used by James Beard himself, and today their designs are the favored grilling platform for many other live-fire chefs. More

It was a world-cuisine education begun early. After a childhood that began in London, moved to France, then grill-Mecca Argentina, Ben and his family were finally deposited by his journalist and grillmaster father in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Ben studied Environmental Sciences, Literature, and Psychology for his BA at the University of Vermont�where environmentalism joined live-fire passion to form his philosophy of ecological and food-chain participation. Also a technophile from birth, out of college Ben was swept up by the digital wave and ultimately found himself living in Washington, D.C., directing product design at AOL headquarters. But his well-worn, Dad-built Grillery always waited at home, and after his 10-year AOL tour she finally won his full attention. �After all,� Ben says, �you can touch a grill.�

With the company fully reborn, today Ben designs Grillworks grills to be tactile, visually striking tools for amateurs and pros alike. They're now found in restaurants, kitchens and backyards all over the world�and since Ben believes grilling to be a seminal morale-builder, also at the forward operating bases of U.S. troops deployed abroad. The little grill Dad built, called "Magnificent" by James Beard himself, is thriving once again.

Ben writes and speaks about artisanal grilling and travels extensively to ensure his designs best harness the world's open fire techniques.  He calls Washington home but still builds his grills near the family farm in northern Michigan.

Filtered by blog articles (Clear filter)

Loving a Good Slaughterhouse

Loving a Good Slaughterhouse

On a drive through Pennsylvania, the author and his father stop at Jamison Lamb, one of the premier providers of fresh lamb to the East Coast, to witness a routine killing.… More »

An Act of Culinary Heroism: Praise for the Winter-Weather Griller

An Act of Culinary Heroism: Praise for the Winter-Weather Griller

Sometimes painful, never ideal, and often ridiculous, grilling in the elements is rarely boring. And it definitely builds character.… More »

Grill Like You Mean It: The Case for Bringing Back Fire

Grill Like You Mean It: The Case for Bringing Back Fire

The Weber made grilling convenient—but it also banished the flames, the taste, and the mystery of the real thing… More »

The Birth of a Grill Designer

The Birth of a Grill Designer

A former dot-com executive learns what it means to save a family business, follow an unexpected path, and discover an unlikely passion for metalwork… More »

Fire: A Different Way to Cook

Fire: A Different Way to Cook

Gas stoves, thermometers, gleaming kitchens. They've all distanced us from the pleasures of cooking over wood. A case for embracing flames—and uncertainty.… More »

When It Comes to Grilling, Pollution Is Perfection

When It Comes to Grilling, Pollution Is Perfection

A grilling expert explains that grilling a steak is like barrel-aging wine: The wood and its impurities lead to better flavor.… More »

A Grilling Expert's Guide to Duck

A Grilling Expert's Guide to Duck

A longtime hunter, whose father invented a serious wood-burning grill, explains how to marinate and grill the red meat of poultry, farmed or wild… More »

A Life at the Grill (and a Labor Day Recipe)

A Life at the Grill (and a Labor Day Recipe)

The maker of a wood-burning grill loved by leading chefs shares the joy of cooking with wood—and a technique for ribs… More »

View All Correspondents

The Biggest Story in Photos

Where in the World? Part 3: A Google Earth Puzzle

May 25, 2012

Subscribe Now

SAVE 59%! 10 issues JUST $2.45 PER COPY

Facebook

Newsletters

Sign up to receive our free newsletters

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)