Ben To Table: Food Subscription Launches To Promote Small-Batch Producers of Gourmet Pantry Items

We all like to support our local vendors, especially at times like these, but occasionally you need something a little “extra” or specialized, that you may not find at your local shop. Enter food-lover, cook, and long-time advocate Ben Simon, a New Haven native who is bringing high-quality, small-producer pantry staples and non-perishables to front doors across the United States with his new subscription box company, Ben to Table.

Ben to Table is a New Haven-based monthly subscription box inspired by Simon’s years of working on environmental and human rights campaigns across the globe, with a focus on preserving and promoting sustainable agriculture.

“I love to cook, I love to eat, and I love to hunt for the best possible ingredients the world has to offer -- with a focus on producers that help to nurture and sustain food systems," said Simon. 

Simon delivers monthly selections of ingredients ranging from staples like heirloom grits from South Carolina, whole grain pasta from California, and heirloom beans from Mexico to global delicacies like hard-to-find oils, spreads, spices, and tinned goods (items like Galician razor clams, Mexican huitlacoche, Calabrian chili paste, and Indian turmeric) -- foods he fell in love with while traveling abroad and couldn’t wait to source for home.

CTbites had the pleasure of receiving the Ben To Table   “Delicacies Box” complete with Razor clams (navajas), Piparras, Ali i oli, Harissa (a favorite), Pimentón picante from Las Hermanas, and ….some truly excellent dark chocolate from Blanxart. We sampled and consumed all of the well curated ingredients over the past month, and have found each to be exceptional examples in their category.

“Ultimately, I’m starting Ben to Table because I want better ingredients to cook with than I have easy access to where I live, and after going through the process of finding what I wanted, I realized there had to be a better way,” said Simon.

Ben to Table offers several subscription options stocked with shelf-stable items including his Pantry Essentials (a monthly box of unique pantry staples) and Global Delicacies (highlighting cuisine from a different global locale each month), both priced at $59.99 per month, and his flagship Ben to Table Box, a combination of both Essentials and Delicacies boxes priced at $114.99 per month. Essentials subscriptions are fully vegetarian, and there are also vegetarian-only versions of both his Delicacies and Ben to Table Box subscriptions.

Delicacies and Ben to Table Box subscriptions are centered around monthly geographic themes. The first box that new subscribers receive is “Spain-ish,” subscribers in February received a box focusing on the gastronomic riches of Italy, while March shipments focused on India. 

“I started this to enable everyone to have the best shelf-stable items in the world, in their kitchen. It's not a meal kit, it's making your kitchen better. I do everything I can to source as ethically, sustainably, and small-producer as possible. That combination is usually the hardest to find—and most delicious. I'm bringing stuff you can't find on your local shelves directly to your doorstep.”

All subscription boxes, as well as add-ons and gifts, are now available for purchase through his website: https://bentotable.com 

Website: https://bentotable.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben2table/

Photos: Meghan Olson