Ben Poremba, 30, chef and co-owner of Salume Beddu, a shop at 3467 South Hampton Avenue, where they handcraft Italian and European-style cured meats, fresh sausages and specialty accompaniments.
BIOGRAPHICAL DATA
FAMILY • Single with a serious girlfriend, Angela Giancola, a fashion consultant, model and sign-language teacher. The couple has two Weimaraners, Disco, 7, and Bella, 4. Ben is the youngest of three children born to Jacob and Rachel Poremba. His brother, Arik Poremba, 36, is a doctor of physical therapy whose practice is in Brentwood; his sister, Galit Paz, 39, is an architect who lives in Israel. Ben has two nephews and two nieces. His parents live in Israel and St. Louis. His father owns Haldor Advanced Technologies; his mother is a retired culinary teacher and caterer.
EDUCATION • Ben's family moved to St. Louis from Ness Ziona, Israel (near Tel Aviv), when Ben was a senior in high school. He graduated from Parkway North High School in 1997, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 2003.
Was it culture shock to move from Israel to St. Louis when you were 17 years old?
Yes, it was very difficult. We moved here for my father's work and I hardly spoke any English at the time. I was good in school and I read, but I told my teachers I did not do homework. I would take the tests and write papers but I would not do homework.
How did your teachers feel about that?
I drove them crazy, I think. I could do the work but I just wouldn't do homework. We didn't do homework in Israel and I just never learned to do it.
Did you have the same interests as young people here?
Some, but I also was very interested in politics. I didn't find many other people my age who were interested in politics, and especially not the politics of the Middle East.
How were you involved in Middle East politics?
My father had been the mayor of our town. I was significantly to the left of him in my views. I opposed the West Bank occupation, which is a difficult thing to do when you live in Israel.
Have your views changed?
I'm less outspoken about them.
How did you get into the food business?
Through my mother. When I was growing up she had a restaurant and a catering business and I was always there working with her. I did kitchen work and I found that I really loved cooking. When my family and I would travel my father would always complain that my mother and I would be gone forever sampling food and buying different ingredients for the kitchen.
When did you start cooking professionally?
In 2007, but I had worked in France in 2001 at a restaurant that one of my mom's friend's owned. After college I moved back to Israel and then traveled. When I moved back here in 2001, I got a job as a nanny for a family in Ladue and I wound up also being the family's chef and catering their parties.
Have you had any formal training?
Yes, I have a Certified Master of Gastronomy & Food Culture degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences near Parma, Italy. I studied there in 2005. The school was founded by Carlo Petrini, the founder of the Slow Food Movement, and was the first culinary school devoted to those principles.
Have you been able to practice those principles here?
Occasionally. I opened the kitchen at Winslow's Home in January '08 using some of those ideas. I also was the executive chef at The Maryland House and 609, and I have worked in kitchens in New York city, France and Italy. I also had my own catering business for awhile and incorporated some of the slow food ideas.
How about at Salume Beddu? And what does the name mean?
Salume is the Italian word for cured meat and Beddu in Sicilian dialect means beautiful. So the name means beautiful meat. My partner, Mark Sanfilippo, is actually the salumiere and I help with the meats and make the accompanying dishes.
Are St. Louisans receptive to the food?
We hope so! We have been going to farmers markets and other locations to sell our food and to let people taste it for the past two years. We opened our store two months ago and people seem to be finding us. Once they sample our food, people seem to love it.
What do you do other than cook?
I eat. Mark and I have both put on weight. I was an art minor in college so I like to paint and make silkscreen prints. I love to collect things — I have 5,000 books in my library and that's after I cleaned out about 2,000. I'm a sucker for flea markets, estate sales and antiques stores. I collect chairs and American primitive pieces and antique food-related items. I also like to decorate and use the things I collect.
Last best book you read?
"Italian Cuisine: A Cultural History," by Alberto Capatti and Massimo Montanari. Capatti was the dean at the University of Gastronomic Sciences. It's a serious book about food and culture.
What do you drive?
A 2009 Nissan Murano. Champagne, I think. But that's not "the car." I used to have a 1989 Jaguar XJ8, British racing green. I loved that car but I couldn't afford the upkeep.
