When Wilo Benet first began his career, he played the drums to relax,
enjoyed a round of golf on a sunny day, and took photographs of nature
just for fun. But now that he is the head of a growing culinary empire,
those three pastimes have become part of his work. A golf outing almost
always includes talk of business ventures. His photos of wildlife have
been commissioned by a local resort to decorate their walls. And as for
drumming, well, he and a local band throw music and dinner events where
patrons get to see Chef Benet play a few songs then cook up a meal fit
for a king. Some might say that he has sacrificed his leisure time for
work, but Wilo doesn’t see it that way. “I do what I love,” he explains,
and the blurring of work and play are just fine with him.
After graduating from the CIA, Wilo worked at such New York City
destination restaurants as Maurice at the Parker Meridien, Le Bernardin,
and the Water Club. But when an opportunity arose to work side-by-side
with his future wife at the Governor’s Mansion in his native Puerto
Rico, he took it. What followed after their two-year stint there is a
testament to hard work and tenacity.
In 1990, Wilo opened Pikayo, his first fine-dining restaurant, which was located at The Condado Plaza Hilton in San Juan. His unique approach to blending
local, French, Italian, and American cuisine won him many accolades.
His second venture, Payá, was an inviting casual dining restaurant meant
for the young working professional. His third
restaurant, Varita, featured a wood-burning rotisserie and focused on comfort foods from Puerto Rico, Italy, and the U.S. His newest restaurant is Wilo Eatery & Bar located in the San Patricio Galleria in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. The location features Payevar, fully cooked and package foods to go; Mixta, a quick serve casual bowl concept; Hot Dog, a fully functioning hot dog cart with all the fixings; and Kafe, which serves Beverages and pastries.
Wilo's first book, Puerto Rico True Flavors, was released in 2010. This best seller was followed by his translation in Spanish, Puerto Rico Sabor Criollo. The books both in English and Spanish are now in their third edition. Wilo regularly contributes to publications like Travel & Leisure, Food & Wine, Cooking Light, and Sante magazines.
Wilo speaks openly about the impact his CIA degree has had on his
current success. “The CIA taught me to understand processes and the
importance of discipline in producing a quality product time and again,”
he explains. “Being a CIA graduate puts you in a special league—there’s
prestige attached to the degree that you don’t get from anywhere else.” Wilo was invited by his alma mater to join the Latin Cuisine Advisory Council and has appeared at Latin Flavors American Kitchens conferences.
Wilo has been a guest chef at the James Beard Foundation and as a spokesperson for UNICEF'S Puerto Rico Chapter "Tap Water" Campaign. He has been featured on Bizarre Food with Andrew Zimmern, Top Chef, and Martha Stewart Weddings, and competed on Top Chef Masters. His television program, Sabores De Ensueno con Wilo Benet, appears on Utilisima Channel Fox Latino and he has developed exclusive culinary programs, Sabor a Wilo and Sabor a Wilo Internacional, for Direct TV.
Whether he is acting as judge in a season finale of Top Chef, serving up fine food at the Hampton's Food and Wine Festival, dishing up delights at Taste of Tennis at the U.S. Open, or starting his own wine label, DOBLEU from Spain, Wilo seems to be laboring under a lucky star. Or maybe
not, because, as Wilo says, “luck is the outcome of hard work…and that
work is what makes us lucky.”