Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Walter.
Hi Ben, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey into hospitality wasn’t a straight line. Like many people in this industry, I started with a love of food and community before I understood that hospitality could be a calling.
Over the years, I worked my way through kitchens, breweries, and hospitality spaces, learning not just how to cook, but how food and drink can bring people together. Along the way, I became increasingly interested in fermentation, craft beer, storytelling, and the idea that a table can be more than a place to eat—it can be a place where people connect, celebrate, grieve, dream, and belong.
Today, I serve as Creative & Culinary Director at Southside Cellar in Fort Worth while also building Priory, a hospitality and fermentation collective I co-founded. Through Priory, we create collaborative beers, curated dinners, and experiences designed to slow people down and create meaningful connection. What started as a side project has become a vision for a different kind of hospitality space—one rooted in patience, creativity, community, and craftsmanship.
A lot of my work is driven by a simple belief: food and drink are at their best when they bring people together. Whether I’m developing a menu, brewing a collaborative beer, writing, or hosting a dinner, I’m ultimately trying to create spaces where people can breathe, connect, and experience something memorable around a shared table.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road.
Hospitality is an industry built on passion, but passion alone doesn’t pay bills, create balance, or guarantee success. Like many people in this field, I’ve experienced long hours, burnout, financial uncertainty, and moments where I questioned whether I was on the right path.
One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to separate my identity from my work. For a long time, I tied my value to how successful a project was, how many people showed up, or whether something I created was well received. Over time, I’ve learned that sustainable creativity requires a healthier foundation than constant achievement.
Building Priory has brought its own challenges. We’re trying to create something that doesn’t fit neatly into existing categories. We’re not just hosting dinners, brewing beer, or creating content—we’re building a culture and a community around a particular vision of hospitality. That takes time, patience, and a willingness to keep going when growth feels slower than you’d like.
At the same time, I’m a husband and a father, so another challenge has been learning how to pursue ambitious creative goals without sacrificing the people I care about most. That’s a lesson I’m still learning every day.
Looking back, though, I’m grateful for the difficult seasons. They’ve forced me to clarify what matters, refine my vision, and build something that feels more authentic to who I am and the life I’m trying to create.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a chef, hospitality professional, writer, and the co-founder of Priory, a hospitality and fermentation collective based in North Texas. My work lives at the intersection of food, craft beer, storytelling, and community building.
Professionally, I currently serve as Creative & Culinary Director at Southside Cellar, where I led the development and launch of the food program and pizza kitchen. That work has involved everything from menu development, recipe testing, kitchen design, systems creation, staff training, and day-to-day operations. Building a kitchen program from the ground up has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my career because it has required balancing creativity with the realities of running a sustainable hospitality business.
Alongside that work, I co-founded Priory, a hospitality and fermentation collective that collaborates with breweries, chefs, and artisans to create beer dinners, collaborative beers, and unique hospitality experiences. Through Priory, we explore the intersection of food, fermentation, craft, and community in ways that don’t always fit neatly into traditional hospitality categories.
What I’m most proud of is helping create experiences that people remember long after the meal is over. Whether that’s launching a new food program, developing a collaborative beer, or hosting a multi-course dinner, I love creating moments that bring people together and spark conversation.
I think what sets me apart is that I approach hospitality as both a craft and a form of community building. I care deeply about the technical side of food and beverage, but I’m equally interested in the stories, relationships, and sense of belonging that can emerge around a table.
At the end of the day, I’m less interested in building a brand than I am in building places where people feel welcomed, inspired, and connected. That belief shapes everything I do, whether it’s at Southside Cellar, through Priory, or whatever comes next.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happiest is creating things that bring people together.
Some of my favorite moments are surprisingly simple: sharing a meal with my family, sitting around a campfire with friends, sketching beside a mountain lake, brewing beer with collaborators, or watching a room full of strangers slowly become a community over the course of a dinner.
I think what all of those experiences have in common is presence. We live in a world that constantly pushes us toward distraction, speed, and productivity. The moments that mean the most to me are the ones that invite people to slow down and be fully present with one another.
As a husband and father, some of my greatest joy comes from spending time with my family and building a life that gives us room to explore, travel, and enjoy the world together. Professionally, I love creating experiences through food, beer, and hospitality, but those things are ultimately valuable because of the people they bring together.
If there’s a thread that runs through everything I do—from Southside Cellar to Priory—it’s the belief that good food, good drink, and genuine hospitality can create the kind of moments people remember for years. Being part of that process makes me incredibly happy because it feels meaningful. It reminds me that, even in a busy and complicated world, gathering around a table still matters.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebenwalter
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebenwalter
