Restauranteur, and Celebrated Chef, Beni Velazquez was raised in New York City and the dishes he creates are based on the food he was surrounded by growing up. The self-taught chef spent time cooking in the kitchen with his mother from an early age. He began working in hotel banquet and catering kitchens and worked his way up the ranks,learning techniques and cooking fundamentals from the French, Italian and Spanish chefs with whom he shared the kitchen. He soon established himself as a professional chef in hotels including The Four Seasons and the Ritz-Carlton. He spent over 12 years consulting for various hotels, casinos and restaurants and also served as corporate chef for Stanford Hospital and Clinics in Palo Alto, California and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).