Chef Ben grew up in rural Vermont. He opened his first restaurant at age 20. Ben married Anne Goldade and settled in her home state of WA in 2005. Studying culinary arts at South Seattle Community College while apprenticing under Italian Chef Elisa Marzano of the incomparable Marzano Italian Restaurant Ben discovered a love for handmade pasta. This passion led to his opening a fresh pasta company Arista Pasta & Specialty Foods in 2012. Under the Arista brand Ben peddled his fresh pastas at local farmers markets, retail shops and restaurants in the Puget Sound region. In 2014 Ben opened a fresh pasta, farm to table restaurant under the same name Arista in Puyallup WA. Arista formed a unique partnership with Puyallup Valley farm Clark’s Creek Farm to grow fresh produce only a mile from the restaurant. Upon the unfortunate closer of Arista in spring of 2017, Ben and Anne were looking for a place to relocate their growing family that would provide a better and safer environment than the Tacoma area. Missing the four seasons and rural values of childhood in Vermont, Leavenworth seemed the perfect fit for Ben and his family. And when the opportunity to open the restaurant at Kahler Glen came up  Ben was ready and excited to bring His talents and vision to the space.