Everyone, Meat Mitch: East father and daughter use lock-down to create a side hustle while he shares his passion for BBQ through a new restaurant and cookbook

While everyone was cooped up in their houses during the spring lockdown, East parent Mitch Benjamin used this time to expand his love for BBQ alongside his daughter, sophomore Piper Benjamin.

With little to do, the Benjamins began making BBQ and desserts in the comfort of their own home to serve to families locally. Dividing the work, Mitch prepared the BBQ — from smoked burnt ends to pecan wings — while Piper whipped up desserts to then deliver to around 200 doorsteps that ordered online, a majority being East families.

“During the pandemic there was a lot of fear, unknown and anxiety,” Mitch said. “I think it brought [my family] together and brightened people’s days.”

While most families were going stir crazy due to being cooped up, Mitch and his family turned this weird and unique time into an opportunity to pursue his passion for BBQ and continue working on his upcoming projects — his personal branded restaurant and BBQ cookbook.

While Piper mostly worked to perfect the desserts she was making, she learned how to properly smoke BBQ and spice up any meal — which only strengthened her and Mitch’s father-daughter bond bond. 

When they began making meals together, it created a common spark they never had before, whether that meant pulling all-nighters to finish up their orders or laughing as they poured spices into a new recipe.

“It for sure brought us closer, no doubt,” Piper said. “There were a lot of nights where we were up until two a.m. prepping together, which was a lot of fun and gave us something to do.”

While their deliveries have slowed, the two still whip up meals together whenever they can. Over the past nine months, Piper has been able to expand her cooking and baking skillset by finding the perfect sauce for the perfect rib and just the right balance between sweet and tart in her strawberry pop tarts. 

“I definitely enjoy it and have gotten a lot better,” Piper said. “My dad is the best cook, but I’m getting there.”

Pursuing his passion for the past 20 years from different spots all over the world, Mitch was able to continue during quarantine, building on his smoking and grilling skills.

Mitch has traveled to New York and Paris to make BBQ and won countless awards, but never imagined he’d now be concocting his own BBQ sauces and rubs, creating a cookbook and establishing two restaurants. Sharing his barbecuing passion was always Mitch’s dream, but he never knew it would become his reality. 

His new restaurant, Meat Mitch, will be located at Mission and 95th in Ranchmart Shopping Center. The construction and pandemic put a pause on the grand opening, but Mitch is willing to wait to keep everyone safe and continue expanding on his passion.

“We are hoping for that to open in June with hopes everyone is more healthy and wanting to venture out a little more,” Mitch said. “There will be tons of games, TVs and a huge outside area, so I am really excited for this opportunity.”

The idea for the new restaurant came after Mitch opened Char Bar in Westport with one of his partners James Westphal, who he met through a mutual friend in 2013. 

Working with Char Bar taught him what it was like to manage a business, helping him to move forward with his next project, Meat Mitch. When Mitch began brainstorming for his own restaurant, it was obvious to him and his partners that they would continue their journey together.

“When Mitch wanted to open something with his own personal branding it just made sense we would be his partners,” Westphal said. “We’ve known each other for years and work well together.”

Along with progressing with his restaurant plan and creating a side hustle with his daughter, the coronavirus lockdown gave Mitch the opportunity to continue writing and working on his own cookbook.

Mitch’s 207-page cookbook, “BBQ Revolution,” won’t be released until May, but it’s available for preorder on Amazon. Over the past year, Mitch has been working on bringing together his favorite recipes to share with those all over the world — including all kinds of BBQ, seafood, vegetables, sides and even desserts, ranging from Smoked Chicken Nuggets to Strawberry Pop Tarts.

Throughout his BBQ career, Mitch has been able to share his passion and experiences with people all over the world from experiences with his own kids all the way to world chefs in Paris. People tend to come back for things they enjoy and love, and he made sure that his BBQ was exactly that.