A Day in the Life of a Chef: Meet Benjamin Davis!

Benjamin Davis stands over a simmering a pan full of fresh sea scallops and a butter-wine reduction sauce. He is the owner and executive chef of Calliope, a fine dining restaurant in the vibrant art-deco heart of Miami Beach. He’s been at it for nearly ten years now, having graduated from the San Francisco Culinary Institute with a degree in both culinary arts and restaurant management. After working as a chef’s apprentice at an upscale Italian restaurant in Chicago for three years, he decided, with his wife, to open his own restaurant here in Miami. He invested in this space—once an old fishing depot, now a gorgeous waterfront villa—with two friends, and he hasn’t looked back.

“Every one of my dreams has come true,” says Benjamin. “But the amazing thing is how close everything was to never happening at all.”

Benjamin explains how competitive the restaurant business has become lately. He owes his success primarily to his training at culinary school, where he learned how to design a proper fine-dining menu.

“The best advice I can give to aspiring chefs is, first of all, to know what kind of profession you’re getting into—you’re day can be kind of hectic.” Benjamin pauses to put boil some water for the pasta. “But—I’ve got to admit—it’s also probably the most rewarding art form I can think of.”

Calliope is a dinner-only restaurant, so Benjamin’s day is slightly different than most other chefs who also own their own restaurant. Places that do lunch and breakfast usually have a second cook who takes care of those meals, while the owner/chef would take care of dinner. So, Benjamin’s schedule is a little more relaxed. He essentially has all day to prepare for dinner; thus, he can make sure everything—from the lighting on the table to the way the bread is sliced—is perfect.

Benjamin’s day starts at around 11 AM, when he opens the back doors of the kitchen and stocks the shelves with the day’s delivery of fresh ingredients. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday he gets the beef, fish, and poultry. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday he gets the beverages, wine, beer, and vegetables. Stocking and prepping usually takes about two-three hours.

Next, he goes on to design the day’s menu. “I like to make a few changes each day,” Benjamin says. “This really has two purposes. The first is so I don’t get bored. If I’m going to be standing making these dishes all night, you better believe I want some variation from day to day. The second is more crucial. The restaurant industry is all about repeat business. If I want to succeed, and here’s what I owe success to, I’ve got to keep them interested. If they know that the menu changes, that will keep them coming back.”

Benjamin stresses that he’s not talking major changes. Just slight changes. An extra entrée or two each night. Different desserts and starters.

Benjamin reserves the first part of the afternoon for running the business side of things. Mostly, he’s on the phone, arranging promotions and advertising. As it gets closer to dinnertime, he transforms into "Chef Benjamin," donning his freshly starched white apron, and, yes, white chef’s hat. “Dinner basically starts two hours before the customers arrive,” he says, dabbing the corners of his mouth with his napkin.

Once dinner time arrives, the pace becomes extraordinarily frantic. Benjamin is at the helm by the range, getting everything in place. Waiters and food-runners are zooming in and out of the kitchen’s two-way doors. Benjamin’s assistants are responding to every one of Benjamin’s commands. When everything and everyone are working the way he wants them to, it feels like he’s truly conducting a symphony.

As the evening progresses, Benjamin’s worked himself into quite a sweat. He’s made countless dishes—steaks, salman, cod, skate, and tuna filets, scallops, shrimps, lobster, pastas. The evening usually begins to wind down at around 10:30 or so, and that’s when Benjamin starts to come out of the kitchen for a bit to chat with the customers.

“This is my favorite time of day.” Benjamin says, as he reaches up for a bottle of wine he plans to deliver to some friends of his. “This is when I get to go out and hear how everyone’s liking their food. I get compliments about it all the time, and you know what, whenever I hear I’ve made someone happy, I can’t get enough of it. It’s my art. It’s what my happiness depends on.”

Benjamin won’t get home until midnight, not before supervising the cleaning, and making sure everything’s ready to begin it all again tomorrow.

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