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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
