A fierce competitor with passion and drive, St. Louis native Ben Grupe has trained like a top athlete and studied his craft like a world-class surgeon. But he’s never been interested in sports or medicine; instead Grupe finds his motivation in the kitchen.

Chef Grupe built his career from the ground up, starting as a dishwasher. He quickly fell in love with the intense, team-based atmosphere he discovered in the hospitality industry, and – at the age of 18 – began cooking. He found mentors in Chefs Chris Desens and Peter Timmins, and flourished in The Greenbrier Culinary Apprenticeship Program in West Virginia. That competitive program fueled his career track, and he returned to St. Louis in 2010 to work in some of the area’s top kitchens before joining Bengelina Hospitality Group’s flagship, Elaia, as Executive Chef in 2016. Under Chef Grupe’s leadership in 2017 and 2018, Elaia was ranked #2 on restaurant critic Ian Froeb’s annual; The 100 Best Restaurants in St. Louis list. During his culinary tenure, Chef Grupe found that cooking food for his restaurant patrons was only part of the picture for him, and took every opportunity he could to compete at the highest level. He has served as team captain for the U.S. Culinary Olympic Team in 2016 and competed in the American Mentor BKB selection for the Bocuse d’Or, the most prestigious culinary competition in the world. Chef Grupe has accumulated over thirty national and international medals, and received the honor of becoming a James Beard Award semi-finalist (2018) for ‘Best Chef Midwest’.

His most recent restaurant venture, Tempus located in St. Louis’ Grove District, merges Grupe’s ambition for excellence with his relaxed nature.  Combining top service elements with playful and familiar cuisine, Tempus opened in October 2020 and was named a winner in the 2020 USA TODAY 10 Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest for Best New Restaurant in the United States. Most recently, Grupe nabbed a James Beard Foundation nomination in the (2022) ‘Emerging Chef’ category and Tempus was named to St. Louis Post-Dispatch Restaurant Critic Ian Froeb’s STL 100 list.

“Ben’s talent as a chef continues to bring a lot of excitement to St. Louis,” says Chef Daniel Boulud, Ment’or Foundation Board Chairman.  “He’s a national culinary figure who endlessly innovates and inspires his team. I am confident his new venture will be a welcome and fine addition to the region.”

Chef Grupe lives in St. Louis with his wife, Alex, and their two sons.