Benny’s Big Time Evolution

Benny’s Big Time Pizzeria, the brainchild of Ben Knight and Vivian Howard, and a beloved fixture in Wilmington’s culinary scene since 2018, has continued to evolve since its inception. Originally conceived as a purveyor of wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pizza along with pastas, salads and tasty side dishes, Benny’s has since incorporated a variety of regional pizza styles to keep things exciting for its patrons and for those who sling the dough.

Knight and Howard divorced last year, and since that time Knight has taken the helm at Benny’s. In a recent interview with Knight and executive chef Evan Morton, the story of Benny’s evolution unfolded, revealing the restaurant’s creative process and dedication to culinary innovation.

Knight grew up in Chicago before heading to New York City to pursue an art career. He spent lots of time working in restaurants as he fought to establish himself as an artist and developed a passion for the industry. Many years later when he and Howard looked to open a restaurant in the Wilmington market, they originally wanted to expand upon their Boiler Room concept, a burger and oyster bar near Chef & The Farmer in Kinston. But when they came across the space at the South Front District, Knight said it didn’t scream Boiler Room, it felt like it would be a better spot for pizza. He knew right away that his passion for pizza would make it a fun concept to research and execute.

“Of course, being from Chicago, via New York City, I was aware of a lack of quality pizza all over the South, but particularly in North Carolina,” Knight said. “So we went for it.”

Benny’s flagship pizza, Neapolitan, is known for its thin and slightly chewy crust and is best eaten straight from a wood-fired oven. Benny’s is made with 100 percent Caputo Italian wheat flour and cooked in authentic Acunto Mario ovens. When Benny’s was uilt, this was the only type of pizza oven in the restaurant’s open kitchen and Knight did not plan on doing much carryout business. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted them to adapt to the growing demand for takeout. Since Neapolitan pizza doesn’t travel as well as other styles, this led to an exploration of new pizza styles that were not only suitable for takeout but also added an element of novelty to the menu.

At the start of the pandemic when the restaurant was temporarily closed, Knight found himself making pizza at home with his twin children, Flo and Theo. One of the styles he was experimenting with at home was Detroit-style, which Flo took an immediate liking to. Detroit-style pizza is a rectangular pan pizza topped to the edges with cheese, creating a thick and crispy caramelized cheese crust. Brick cheese, a high-fat aged cheese from Wisconsin is the traditional choice, although a variety of cheeses can be used.

At the same time Knight was experimenting with Detroit-style pizza, he was working out how to provide a gluten-free pizza for his customers. After coming across a New York Times article about gluten-free focaccia, it dawned on him that he could use this as a base for a gluten-free Detroit-style pizza. The only problem was, Benny’s only had a wood-fired oven at the time, and that oven created a lot of cross-contamination due to residual flour flying around in the oven during cooking. So once the restaurant was back in business, a deck oven was installed to allow Benny’s to serve several new varieties of pizza, including a current customer favorite, the Grandma pizza.

For those that might be wondering what Grandma pizza is, Knight says it’s a bit like Sicilian-style in that it is also rectangular, but it’s a bit lighter in texture and crispier than a Sicilian. And unlike most pizzas, the sauce is put on after the cheese, which is typically a fresh mozzarella. Now the restaurant is selling out of both gluten-free Detroit-style and Grandma pizza nearly every night.

The journey to perfecting each style was not without its challenges, with months of experimentation and countless trial runs needed to achieve the desired tastes and textures.

“We made and tasted a ton of pizzas before we were ready to put anything on the menu,” executive chef Evan Morton said.

The introduction of New York pizza further diversified Benny’s menu, offering patrons a taste of the Big Apple’s iconic pies while dining in on Wednesday nights. Whole pies and slices are available to-go Wednesday through Sunday.

“People that eat a lot of pizza don’t necessarily want the same style of pizza all the time,” Knight said. “I’m one of those people.”

But Benny’s innovation hasn’t focused solely on pizza. Morton recently introduced Fried Mozz Tots, a delicious departure from Benny’s original mozzarella sticks. The fritters are coated in a thin layer of flour and egg, but no breading. The outside of the fritter becomes crispy while the inside features the gooey, stretchy cheese you expect from a mozzarella stick. It goes without saying that they’ve quickly become a fan favorite. Morton is also serving up his version of Pork Belly Burnt Ends which are slow-roasted and served with a blueberry sage glaze.

“We’re going through about sixty pounds of that a week right now,” Morton said. “And we’ll be switching up the glaze seasonally.”

Morton is also currently experimenting with creating a beet-based vegan meatball.

“I really don’t like working with ‘fake’ meat products so I’m not going to put anything like that on the menu, but I’m open to finding other ways to create some vegan options,” Morton said. “If it’s successful I’ll go with it, but not until I’m one hundred percent happy with the results.”

Fortunately for Morton, Knight agrees with this philosophy. He fully supports Morton’s desire to continually challenge himself and create new menu items. Knight understands this process cannot be rushed and is ok with allocating time and resources for experimentation. The pair is also in agreement on keeping things interesting for their customers.

When asked if they might try a deep-dish Chicago-style pie, Knight who grew up eating this style pizza, admits he’s given it some thought.

“We’ve played around with it but both the Chicago tavern-style and the deep dish are a little more tricky to nail,’ Knight said. “Even within Chicago there are a ton of variations and each place has its own signature recipe so it’s risky to put a Chicago-style pie on the menu because that means a lot of different things to different people.”

Looking ahead, customers can expect Benny’s to continue to push culinary boundaries. Their commitment to innovation and willingness to broaden their menu to attract a diverse customer base has solidified their status as a dynamic culinary destination with room to grow.