Feast Experience

Ben Knight, proprietor of Benny's Big Time Pizzeria, is a veteran of the restaurant industry. Having partnered in the acclaimed Chef & the Farmer and Boiler Room Oyster Bar culinary treasures in Kinston, NC, Knight chose to stay in the east and open Benny's in Wilmington. Since 2017, Benny's has been a staple of the Wilmington dining scene and of the South Front neighborhood. In addition to developing fun, thoughtful and delicious dining establishments, Knight is a reputable artist, and co-produced and starred in the Emmy award-winning PBS series "A Chef's Life". When not in the restaurant, he can be found coaching his son's basketball teams and hanging out with his kids.

By age 18, Chef Even Morton had earned himself a management position in a popular fast casual restaurant and eventually went on to work in a variety of Raleigh-area restaurant to hone his skills. Besides his father, he considers Benny’s owner, Ben Knight, to be his greatest mentor. “When I first started at Benny's, Ben showed me more kindness and respect than anyone I've worked for before,” Morton says. “There was no sarcastic comment when I didn't know something, no yelling if I made a mistake. He really opened my eyes to a better way to be successful.”

Byron McSweeney is the General Manager of Mad Mole Brewing and has been with the brewery for the past five years. Before moving over to brewing, Byron worked in the service industry for over 15 years. Now, having done a little of everything in the world of beer, from brewing to managing taprooms and jump-starting wholesale programs, he is proud to serve as president of the Cape Fear Craft Beer Alliance. "I love cultivating a community that welcomes all customers to drink delicious beer at Mad Mole," said Byron "And I love to work with local businesses and get the word of craft beer out in Wilmington."