After twenty years in kitchens, Chef Ben Beaver has learned what most cooks only figure out the hard way: the best plates are usually the ones where the chef got out of the way.
"My cooking has changed in the last five years," he says. "Better techniques, better in-season ingredients, and just not trying to do too much. Let the ingredients talk."
That philosophy shapes the food at Per Diem, where Ben leads the kitchen with a focus on modern American cooking built around intentional, seasonal ingredients and bold, balanced flavor. More than a decade into running kitchens as an Executive Chef, the thing that still drives him is the same thing that got him here — developing new dishes, refining systems, and building a team that actually wants to show up for each other.
Ben grew up in Harrisburg and has spent his career moving toward kitchens that feel less like pressure cookers and more like crews. Ask him what he's most excited about at Per Diem and he doesn't lead with a dish — he leads with people. "The chance to keep growing professionally, stay creative, and create experiences that people genuinely enjoy — that's what excites me most."
His best food memory isn't in a kitchen. It's San Francisco, with his wife. "The whole experience was about food." You can hear it in the way he talks about plates now — as experiences, not just dishes. The trip didn't just stick; it shifted something.
In the kitchen, it's a scratch bowl of ramen — broth built from the ground up, noodles, soy egg, pork shoulder, garnish, the full build. It's the one he loves to make most in a professional setting. But if he's the one eating? Street tacos. Every time.
Other Favorites:
Cookbook on the shelf: Made in Spain, José Andrés
Book that isn't a cookbook: Can't Hurt Me, David Goggins
Most prized kitchen possession: his set of Yoshihiro knives
Chef he wishes he could have staged with: Marco Pierre White
Off the clock: Orioles games, trying new restaurants, time with his wife
Ben's cooking today is a quieter version of what it used to be. Fewer components. Cleaner technique. A deeper trust in what a perfect in-season ingredient can do on its own. It's the version of a chef you want running your kitchen — confident enough to let the food do the talking.
