Meet the restaurateur behind this 'big time' Wilmington pizza place

Chicago native Ben Knight got his start in the pizza business early. As a 16-year-old, he was delivering for one of the most famous deep-dish purveyors in the country, Lou Malnati. Even though his art has been a guiding passion, the hospitality industry has been a constant presence.

“I love the restaurant business,” he said. “When I moved to New York to paint, I waited tables as primary income until I could make money selling paintings. It’s always been there. Sometimes it’s been a side hustle and sometimes it’s been full time.”

While in New York, he worked with Vivian Howard, who would become his wife. The pair then moved to North Carolina, became parents to Flo and Theo, opened restaurants like Chef & the Farmer in Kinston, and launched "A Chef’s Life" series that aired on PBS.

Howard took the lead on television, winning Emmys and James Beard Awards in the process, and she wrote cookbooks like "Deep Run Roots" and "This Will Make It Taste Good." Knight continued to paint at his studio in Kinston, and helped bring his culinary passions to life with concepts like the (now closed) Boiler Room burger and oyster bar and Benny’s Big Time Pizzeria in Wilmington, which opened in 2017.

“I’m more of a pizza and burger kind of person,” he said. “Those are reflections of what I like.”

But things do change.

“With the TV show, the way we set that up it was always geared around Vivian,” he said. “And so a lot of people over the years just assumed that they were her restaurants. Which worked well while we were together...”

Now, though, the high-profile culinary couple are going through a divorce. While the details haven’t yet been finalized, Knight has been the face of Benny’s in Wilmington’s South Front District.

“This has been my baby,” he said.

For one, pizza is a staple.

“To me, the best thing about pizza, especially Neapolitan style, is that it’s something you can eat every day,” he said. “It’s like a sandwich – but a warm sandwich with tomato and cheese.”

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He also feels a connection to the South Front District where the restaurant is located. It's one of the area’s burgeoning culinary hot spots, with businesses like The Second Glass restaurant, satellite bar and lounge, New Anthem Beer Project and the Mariposa Tapas Bar.

“I chose this spot and this town, and this location in particular, because it rings true to me,” Knight said. “It’s the kind of place that brings people into a neighborhood.”

Howard, meanwhile, has been promoting businesses like Viv's Fridge, with strategically placed take-and-bake outlets, and culinary experiences through Weekend at Viv's. She's also been writing about the future of the restaurant industry and the challenges of co-parenting for publications like Garden & Gun and The New York Times.

Knight is continuing to divide his time between Wilmington and Kinston. And he's been tweaking things at Benny's. He and Howard started working with pizza in the Chef & the Farmer’s wood-fired oven. Knight is now continuing to introduce new styles at Benny’s. They include a classic “Grandma-style” sheet-pan pizza, and a New York slice.

“We’ve also been experimenting with different gluten-free styles and we came across one that we love that’s a Detroit style,” he said. Knight said he was already making a focaccia-style cheesy pizza at home with his daughter when he found a similar gluten-free bread recipe and adapted it for the restaurant.

Both the grandma style and the gluten-free have become new favorites at Benny's, he said. The restaurant also continues to offer house-made pasta dishes.

“I think the spaghetti and meatballs," he said. "I think that's the one that's really come across as a customer favorite. Those are the gems right now.”

After decades in the restaurant business, Knight said he's also enjoying his role as a mentor.

"I love working with young people and teaching them about the business," he said. That includes his now 12-year-old kids, who've taken on tasks like topping pizzas and bussing tables at the restaurant.

Ideally, he'd also like to expand in the Wilmington market when he's able to.

“I do love this place," he said. "And I have some fun ideas for what to do with this concept.”

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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her ataballard@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Benny's Big Time Pizzeria in Wilmington headed by Ben Knight