Evan Morton + Ben Knight

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.”