xtraCHEF Recipe Card: Ben Etkin

Explain your role at xtraCHEF.

As a Senior Account Executive, most of my time is spent working with folks in the restaurant industry to understand their needs and see how xtraCHEF can help drive their business forward. Fortunately, xtraCHEF is not only a very solid product, but also a necessary one for most restaurants, so my conversations are almost always enlightening and engaging. It’s great to help people!

What did you do before you came xtraCHEF?

I’ve worked in the restaurant technology business for a few years now, but before that I worked in television. I spent a few years at a cable news network and another few at a Hollywood agency.

What do you love about xtraCHEF?

I love the dedication xtraCHEF has to helping our industry. It’s not every day that you find a team with such a collective focus on solving a problem, and it’s even less often that the solution has the potential to profoundly help so many people and businesses. It’s been a pleasure to work on this team with its myriad of experience across the industry, and to put our heads together to help restaurants of all sorts and sizes.

Why are you passionate about the restaurant industry?

I think some of my best memories have been around meals shared with others. Whether it’s those home-cooked meals you remember so vividly, a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that blew you away, a comforting meal at a family-run spot, or some crazy, high-concept fever dream of a dining experience that a master chef executes to perfection, gathering around a good meal has lasting effect on everyone. It’s such a rewarding shared experience.

What do you do when you’re not working?

I love to find new restaurants and bars that are somewhat off-the-beaten-path, and to cook at home. Food is life for me, basically.

What’s your best WFH tip?

Go for a walk! We spend so much time inside and in the same few spaces nowadays, you’ve got to get out for a bit. Even if it’s a short walk around the block, fresh air and something new to look at is vital to strong mental health. Be careful and cognizant of your surroundings, but please go for a walk.

What’s your favorite quarantine hobby?

My girlfriend and I have a ton of cookbooks that often never get opened, so we’ve been using quarantine to make our way through a couple of them. Since we can’t go out to eat for the foreseeable future, we’ve been having some great meals at home.

Show us your work from home setup!