Last week at a Federation event, I moderated a panel that consisted of five local Jewish restaurateurs, including Israeli native Ben Poremba, owner and chef of Bengelina Hospitality Group (Elaia, Ol io, Nixta, The Benevolent King and more). When asked...

To err is human...but still!Regardless of the work we do, being successful requires us to pay close attention to detail. Certainly in the case of a doctor, paying attention to detail could mean the difference between life and death. But no matter what...

New deli on horizonBy now many of you have probably heard that local restaurateur and Israeli native Ben Poremba (of Elaia, Olio, Parigi and co-owner of La Patisserie Chouquette) plans to open a Jewish-style deli in St. Louis, hopefully by July 2017....

Israeli food is the new darling of the culinary world.  Israeli-born chefs Yotam Ottolenghi, Alon Shaya and Michael Solomonov have become gastronomic superstars through their award-winning restaurants and cookbooks. The James Beard Foundation named Shaya’s...

The Jewish Light hosted a reception for its Publisher's Society supporters and friends at Ben Poremba's Olio and Elaia restaurants on Sunday, Aug. 25.  Award-winning chef Poremba offered a special assortment of his Israeli and Mediterranean influenced...

Ben Poremba was born and raised in Ness Ziona, Israel, north of Rehovat and south of Rishon. He is the youngest of three children, with an older brother and sister. At the age of 17, Poremba moved to Italy to attend a master’s degree program in food...