At 12 years old, Ben was working at a deli in Astoria and was fascinated by the aromas and the delight on peoples faces when getting their food. That’s when Ben knew he wanted to work with food. As the years went by, he got promoted and took on more responsibilities despite being only a teenager.

One Christmas eve, phone orders were drilling through that rotary phone and Ben's boss was about to blow a fuse with so much to do. Ben always was sharp with his work and used to watch the chef prepare amazing delicatessen delights. Also, he grew up in a traditional Italian family where food was very important.

So, his boss asked him if he could do the fruta de mare. Without hesitation Ben jumped to the task and assured his boss he would do the best frutti de mare he had ever seen. The rest is history. Ben was immediately added to the cook line and became a chef.

Over the years he learned new techniques and recipes while working at various restaurants during his cooking career. But when life brought him a beautiful family, he realized that he couldn’t provide his family the life they deserved with a cook’s salary so he became an MTA bus driver.

In 2002, with the encouragement of his family and friends, Ben took a risk and opened Benateri’s in College Point - a gourmet Italian deli where the most delicious traditional Italian dishes are currently served today. Since the day it opened, Benateri’s had long lines so Ben started accepting orders by phone, fax, and email. And eventually launched an online ordering system.

Benateri’s in a story about a kid from New York who had a dream and made it come true. You don’t know what a good sandwich is until you try Benateri’s.