Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Benton.
Hi Mike, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started cooking out of necessity at a young age. Mainly breakfast items as I was not allowed to dabble in other things. I was always a curious person. I was the kid that took things apart, got in trouble, and was made to put it back the way I found it. My parents worked a lot and often slept in on the weekends and I wanted more than a bowl of cereal. In the beginning, I used them as guinea pigs in order to get the feedback needed to improve. There was either too much salt, too much pepper, the toast was too burnt or pancakes too crispy. No matter the feedback, I wanted to improve on it and make it better than the time before. In that moment, I discovered I had a love for food that went beyond consuming it. I loved to see others consume it as well. My first job was the chicken cook at Popeyes. I was 15. It was there I learned of other seasonings outside of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt. I went on to working in nursing home kitchens as first the dishwasher, then the cook’s helper, to eventually the cook in the span of a year. When you have to manage the diets of the elderly, you find that attention to detail is important. Flavors, food consistency, temperature levels, and portion sizes had to be perfect in order to have a successful eating experience. Those experiences as well as my creative nature, this “bigger is better” mindset and love of feeding others is what keeps my in the kitchen almost daily.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road to being a great cook is anything but smooth. Do you know how many pots, skillets, and pans I’ve ruined? Smokers that I thought were garbage and gave them away? Lots! When I first started smoking meat, I struggled with fire maintenance and often undercooked or overcooked things. The fact that I kept producing low-quality dishes was disheartening and I stopped cooking altogether for a couple of years and focused on my career. What brought me back was my friends and family. As a person that has always enjoyed cooking, I couldn’t think of a better way to pass the time or decompress.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a Business Intelligence Consultant/Delivery Manager for an IT firm. When projects go off the rails, I’m the guy that comes in to get things back on track. However, that is just my day job. I love to create and build things. By building, I mean coaching people up and by creating, I mean a digital presence. I was recently challenged to create a food blog for myself and share my recipes along with my photos and videos. I’m a big into clothing and I’m working on a line that will empower “US” to live on fire every day. All of this will be tied together to build what I hope is a successful brand whether I continue as the MilitantFoodie or another name entirely.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
Apps (food-related): Instagram, YouTube
Apps (Professional): Udemy, Code Academy
Books: The Promise Land (Barack Obama), Winning By Accountability
Podcast: Dead Ass, Muscle for Life, The Midnight Miracle, Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/militantfoodie?r=nametag
