I open restaurants because I love food.

It’s as basic as that.

I love the sounds of cooking and eating:
Jacques Brel playing in my mom’s kitchen.
The crackle of slicing through a fresh loaf of bread.
The slurp of broth, the sizzle of meat, the hum of chewing, the chorus of mmm’s, gulps, and sighs of satisfaction. An orchestra of dining onomatopoeia.

I love the scents of food:
The intoxicating aroma of hearth-baked bread at Olio in the morning.
The fried falafel at Mizrahi in my hometown of Ness Ziona—its perfume lingering in every corner of the street.
Shawarma down the block at Shemesh, burekas at Sami’s, hamin on a Saturday morning.
The transporting fragrance of spice shops, the briny punch of fish markets, the heaviness of abattoirs, the earthy tang of sausage factories.
And, masochistically, even the intolerable odors of certain cheeses and ferments.

I love the theater of cooking and eating.
The gathering around a table, a kitchen island, or a grill, where food becomes not only sustenance but ritual, performance, and communion.

Nothing is more deeply rooted in me than Shabbat dinners at my aunt and uncle’s home.
Aliza and Albert’s table was an endless feast of aromas, tastes, colors, and textures. A sensory overload where the very meaning of being revealed itself: the human act of elevating mere sustenance into an artful expression.

And perhaps most of all, I open restaurants because it allows me to be a stage designer.
Each dining room is a set, every light, object, fixture, and texture a deliberate choice. Every plate a prop, every guest both audience and actor. A restaurant is not just a place to eat. It is a world built from sound, smell, and touch, where atmosphere and memory are created in real time.

I am inspired daily by our food community—
our purveyors, farmers, artisans, fellow chefs, restaurateurs, and the curious, seasoned diners who gather with us.
I love the cultural diversity of this community, and I love learning the food traditions of others.

I feel blessed and honored to belong to this world.

— Ben

Retail

Our retail spaces showcase what we love most in life. Enjoy our cafe menu and discover curated groceries, wines, cigars, and gifts at AO&Co. Explore our in-house goods from our Feinschmeickers line, and visit The Commissary to shop a beautiful selection of pre-loved home accessories.

AO&Co

Curated Market & Cafe

Deli divine market

Grab-and-go Market & Deli

Feinschmeckers

Ben Poremba’s Private Label