How I Got Here: Kenneth Benning
Why caviar?
Good question. I went into Harrods in 1994 to buy a Christmas present for my stepfather - he travelled regularly to Leingrad, where he had picked up a penchant for caviar. I headed to the Food Hall and purchased the largest tin of caviar that I could afford, which incidentally was not big at all. After Christmas, my best friend told me that his uncle knew a ‘caviar dealer.’ The following year, we bought a tin from the dealer, four times the size for half the price! Ding went the lightbulb, and the rest is history…
What’s your favourite restaurant or group of restaurants to visit?
I love food and enjoy the great variety that London has to offer, from fine dining to a cheap and cheerful meal at Wong Kei. One of my favourite haunts is George Club and I am looking forward to them re-opening in the new year, it is not only great food and a wonderful ambience, but the service is fantastic, Daniele and his team always go above and beyond to make you and your guests feel welcome.
What motivates you?
Coming up with new ideas and implementing them. I love the accessibility we now have to knowledge, all readily available on my trusty Samsung.
What keeps you up at night?
The ideas that I came up with and how the hell to go about implementing them.
How often do you check your email?
From the moment I wake up to the moment I sleep.
How do you let off steam?
With a nice pint at the pub, or walk in Battersea Park with the dog.
Do you prefer a night on the tiles or a night on the sofa?
The perfect balance of both.
What’s your signature dish to cook at home?
A well-rested steak with Roquefort sauce, spinach, and Cornish-salted hasselback Jersey Royals.
Typical Sunday?
House jobs, Sunday lunch, walking the dog in afternoon with my wife and daughter while my son is rowing on the River Thames.
What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
Not booking anything for my honeymoon, aside the Gatwick Airport hotel the night before and a 6am flight to Marrakech. Best holiday we ever had.
Which colleague, mentor or employer has had the biggest influence on your approach to the restaurant business?
Richard Caring’s success has been phenomenal, and he has been an inspiration. Michael Ward (MD of Harrods) has always been a solid advisor in my Exmoor Caviar and Caviar Biotec journeys.
What's been your best business decision?
Setting up Exmoor Caviar with my wife Jemima. She is the glue that holds it all together.
And the worst?
Believing that others that I have worked with share the same ethos and values as myself. Learning the hard way that if you want something done you invariably have to do it yourself. There are lots of people out there who try to take over your ideas as their own but inevitably without the knowledge and passion, everything comes out in the wash. I must learn to keep my aces up my sleeves.
What piece of advice would you give to those looking to climb the rungs in the business?
80% of success is showing up. For me, the remaining 20% is having belief in yourself and your business. Keep a smile on your face and never take no as a final answer.
If you could change one thing about the caviar trade today, what would it be?
The crackdown of caviar tin mislabelling is something that I am passionate about. The eggs from various roe bearing sturgeon must be named as such. Beluga caviar is from the Huso Huso sturgeon, indigenous to the Caspian Sea and not from Kaluga Caviar, a well-known Chinese Hybrid caviar which is derived from the Huso Dauricus sturgeon. Labelling Chinese caviar as Beluga Caviar is blatantly misleading and needs to be stopped.
