Meet Chrissy Benoit
Chrissy Benoit has always been passionate in the restaurant, food and people industry. Chrissy has had experience across the board, from 4 star Caribbean resorts, to opening restaurants across the nation with acclaimed chef Wolfgang Puck. An emphasis in staff training, development, concept growth, helping restaurants and resorts concepts achieve the best quality experiences for their guests. Monetizing sales through good design and thoughtful purchasing decisions. Chrissy also manages projects both new and with renovations. Making permitting and licensing understandable and achievable. Understanding that every step in the process can impact the goal for the best guest experiences, flow and production and are critical to the operation.
She stepped officially into the kitchen in 2002 upon returning from her stint in New York and The U.S. Virgin Islands with Rosewood Resorts. Chrissy began working with concept sales and acquisitions to assist owners and purchasers while working with Robert Earl in the sale and transition one of his restaurants by revamping the menu and creating a production plan for the kitchen to provide consistency and quality.
Chrissy then relocated to South Florida to begin her entrepreneurial career and begin designing concepts starting with The Cottage in Lake Worth. Once The Cottage was open and operational, she moved to another location where she saw in a rundown bar called The Lizard Den in a great location with an opportunity to create something special. The creation became Havana Hideout and was featured on The Food Network. After operating successfully for 6 years she sold the restaurant to focus on her newest concept The Production Kitchen.
The Production Kitchen concept was ahead of its time. This incubator style, shared kitchen concept helped other food business entrepreneurs get a safe start in a licensed kitchen to follow their dreams. This kitchen concept housed, caterers, green market enthusiasts, boutique distributors, salad dressing mavens, gourmet popsicle makers and more. Today, happily we see more of these types of facilities popping up across the country continuing to fill the needs and dreams of startup foodies!
In 2009 Chrissy was approached by the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency to potentially create a concept in their stagnating downtown area. After presenting her proposal to transform a historic home purchased by the C.R.A. into a quaint eatery it was voted into reality. By 2012 Chrissy had rehabilitated what became The Little House, an 800 square foot classic Florida home built in the 1930’s, into a restaurant. The design won a Florida Redevelopment Agency award. The Restaurant also won a design award from The Palm Beach Post, as well as many accolades about food, top notch craft beer selection and sangrias all won awards. She is also a guest contributor to Florida Food and Farm Magazine.
In 2018 Chrissy Benoit received an opportunity to move to New Orleans to assist a music club on the world-famous Frenchmen Street where she assisted in the kitchen concept remodel and licensing more suitable to the club.
After the New Orleans experience, Chrissy returned to West Palm Beach and began consulting with RAD restaurant group to assist them with all aspects of the acquisition of potential new locations in Miami and NYC.
Chrissy did work in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian to get relief to the thousands of people there in need. Chrissy has also started the Track a Pack foundation in conjunction with Florida Eagles Wings and some of the relief workers she bonded with in the aftermath. The goal to help get schools open after this devastating storm.
Chrissy then began working with Feeding South Florida overseeing the 20,000 sq. foot facility and the meal production program in its new 5600 square foot kitchen at the Feeding Palm Beach County location. Chrissy oversaw the build out of this massive kitchen from concrete to C.O. Pricing out equipment, determining the necessary choices for the highest output of meals for the ability to save food as well as get it in the hands of those most in need. This project was started and completed during the Covid -19 pandemic, in which Feeding South Florida was the # 1 food bank in Florida and the # 2 in the United States.
Currently Chrissy works on the business development side with multiple clients such as Plant Based Mafia, Worthy Family Farms, Field of Greens and more, in differing ways for different goals.