Potawatomi chef's biggest goal is to make people feel welcome
Ben Jones’ culinary career all goes back to his grandmother’s cooked ham. It’s all about the glaze. That one recipe hooked him, and he’s been on a quest for memorable food moments ever since.
While his early years were spent in Florida and Oregon, Jones’ culinary career has taken him from New Zealand and Montana to the Midwest.
As executive chef at Potawatomi Bingo Casino, 1721 W. Canal St., his most recent memorable bite is a wagyu beef hot dog on a pretzel. Weeks after trying it for the first time, he’s still thinking about it. Expect it on the menu when the new Sportsbook opens within the casino in the next few weeks.
Part of a $100 million renovation at Potawatomi Bingo Casino, the updated restaurant concepts are being rolled out over several months. Dream Dance reopened in January.
Jones lives in Crystal Lake, Ill., with his wife and daughters.
Making his way to Milwaukee from Montana
I came here from Montana. I was at a small luxury resort there, very different than coming to the casino. I had a good experience with Levy Restaurants in the past. The casino here interested me because of our CEO and his vision.
I wanted to become a part of this plan and overall vision of what this casino is going to become. We want to be the premier tribal gaming destination in the U.S. Hearing that was just the challenge I was looking for.
His grandmother inspired his culinary career
I started cooking, culinary arts, because of my grandmother’s ham. Ham was my first word. I blame my love of food on my grandmother. I was a bus boy at 15, worked my way up to line cook and all that. Through the years, I wanted to be the superstar chef, own my own restaurant. By the time I was 23, I decided that maybe this is going to be harder than I thought. I began to look at some stability and things like health insurance. Being an adult slapped me in the face.
I got wind of the Peninsula Hotel opening in Chicago. A buddy told me he was going to apply. I was all "hotel, eww." Then I got into my interview and toured the space with a hard hat and met the executive chef and sous chef. I immediately fell in love with hotels and how busy it was. It was my perfect job. … When the casino opportunity came about, it was that next stop. I’m really excited.
A growing appetite keeps him busy
I would say on average, we’re feeding 1,200 people every day. Taking banquets into account, up to 1,500 each night. Thursday through Sunday it is crazy busy on the floor and we’re cranking out a lot of food.
Casino restaurants offer something for everyone
Currently we have Dream Dance, Canal Street, RuYi, and the Marketplace, which is our quick-service concepts. The Sportsbook is going to be opening in a few weeks. That will have a food offering, kind of gastropub-ish with specials. One that I just tried is a wagyu hotdog on a pretzel bun. I could eat three or four of those! The buns are local, from Sciortino’s.
His approach is about making memories
What I’m trying to do from an overall casino experience, from our food operation, I want that warm welcome. I want that guest to sit down with their meal and something about it is a memory. It can be as simple as a hot dog. That wagyu hot dog was life changing, the snap of the meat and how the pretzel bun was toasted. That whole experience was a memory. I want our guests to know that.
We are creating memories, and we want you to walk away with a food memory.
Destination Dream Dance
Dream Dance was remodeled just before the pandemic. Then the pandemic came along. (Dream Dance reopened this January.) We have guests coming in and being fairly surprised by Dream Dance and what it looks like, remembering it from years ago.
It is one of those restaurants with an iconic look, the design and feeling of the dining room is akin to the supper club feel. The bar is welcoming, and it is large, which is fun. We also have the awesome wine arch that is made out of solid glass, filled with our bottles of wine. You walk through it when you go into the dining room. We have over 400 labels on the wine list.
His grandmother's ham had the best glaze
It was her glaze, it was everything. She would do a low country ham, which is sweeter brine. It caramelizes really nicely in the oven. I didn't know what her glaze was for years. When I was 13 or 14 I finally asked her "what do you put on the ham that I like so much?" It is just ketchup, mustard and brown sugar. It creates this crispy caramelized sugar with acidity goodness.
Has the ham ever appeared on his menus?
No, it hasn't, actually. That is something I do at home. Maybe I'll glaze the Easter ham with my grandmother's glaze and it will appear this Easter at Potawatomi.
We're doing a huge Easter brunch in the event center. We’re also doing a big brunch for Mother's Day. We’re doing Mother’s day and Easter buffets, $70 for an all you can eat situation high end cuisine across the board. There is also a $40 buffet in Canal Street the same day, based on how popular it was last year. It sold out.
Start with quality ingredients, go local
If you’re buying something, it needs to be the best you can get, whether Romaine lettuce or a mushroom, steak, fish, take your pick. It has got to be the best. Ninety percent of the time when it is a local product, it is probably going to be better than anything else you can get, whether from a local farmer or local rancher …
I plan on getting a local steak on the menu just to show a part of that. We are supporting local as much as possible. We've signed up with an aquaponics farm down the road.
Potawatomi has a farm as well, up north a bit. They’re raising cattle, bison, a whole vegetable contingency. We’ll have our farm available just for Potawatomi. It is located just past Wabeno. I was just in a meeting with a chairman of the tribe and he is very excited about it.
His go-to Milwaukee meal felt like home
Honestly, it has been the supper club experience. I just got to go to Five O’ Clock Steakhouse a few weeks ago. There is something about that feeling of being in someone's home that appealed to me. The food was good, service is great. I don't drink, but the people I was with enjoyed their drinks. The overall feeling of being welcomed is fantastic. It is the experience.
Being in Milwaukee, from a restaurant or food and beverage perspective, it is a place of welcome and defining that word. No matter what restaurant I have gone into, they're excited to have you here.
You don’t need to gamble to eat here
I want people to know that you can walk straight through the casino floor and straight through to Dream Dance. You can walk right to the restaurant. RuYi is the same, it is at the bottom of the escalator from the parking garage, no reservation needed. It is a busy restaurant, so pick your time wisely. Canal Street is an easy access restaurant as well, homestyle cuisine …
I think the size of the casino can be daunting for diners, and if anybody comes here knowing they can just walk through and they don't have to touch any machines.
Menu must-haves at his restaurant
There are two must haves in my opinion. We have a 20-ounce bone-in ribeye on the menu that is phenomenal. That pairs with a wild mushroom ragu that is one of our steak enhancements. That's my favorite meal, my go-to dinner. I also believe the steakhouse slab salad we do is fun and kitschy, a take on the traditional wedge salad.
On his days off he feasts with family
I’m happily married and have three beautiful young girls. Most of my time is hanging out with the family. We have a ritual breakfast every Sunday. We go to a local restaurant where I live in Crystal Lake, Ill., Richard Walker’s Pancake House.
More:Sushi Bar at Potawatomi casino reopens and more food and drink news
Switching things up at RuYi
The sushi chef, Sang-ki Kim, he’s got his signature wagyu roll on the menu. It is out of this world, and no one in Milwaukee has it, that's for sure. We're using A5 Miyazaki wagyu beef. That dish is one of the highlights.
We are in the process of changing the menu. We're looking forward to five spiced duck on the menu, that's one of my signature dishes. Chef Sang-ki is Korean. He’s going to be helping to expand the Korean influence on the menu.
More:Mobay Cafe owner connects with her Jamaican roots through genuine food
Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables (within the food community and without) have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email psullivan@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Potawatomi Bingo Casino chef aims to make people feel welcome
