Meet Ben Skolnick

We recently connected with Ben Skolnick and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ben, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Ben Skolnick (AKA NICK), Co-Creator/Co-Chef of Wick and Nick’s Blueblood

I found my purpose when I fell in love with cooking. I’ve worked in kitchens my whole life, but it wasn’t until college that I fully decided this was the path I wanted to take. At some point, I realized I couldn’t juggle school and cooking anymore. I had to ask myself: was my degree in Anthropology from Georgia State going to fulfill me in the long run, or was the kitchen where I was meant to be?

By then, I’d worked my way up from Irish pubs and dive bars to a garde manger cook at Rathbun’s. I thought about grad school, but I ended up deciding to stay in the kitchen and give it my all. I was 100% committed. A few months later, I got fired.

But even getting fired didn’t shake me. The grind, the creativity, the problem-solving, the team dynamic—it all hooked me. I loved it. So, I pushed forward and landed at Boccalupo in 2013. It’s been 12 years of challenges, setbacks, and triumphs, but Boccalupo has become my anchor. It’s where I’ve grown, learned, and found my true north.

For over a decade, my best friend Jared Warwick (AKA Wick) and I have been cooking together—both at Boccalupo and with Wick and Nick’s on the side. He now runs Octopus Bar, and I’m the CDC at Boccalupo. Cooking has evolved for me in many ways, but I’ve always loved the selflessness of it. Creating something that’s devoured in minutes, knowing it can change a person’s day, or even their perspective. Food has this magic: two people who may not see eye to eye can sit down, share a meal, and forget their differences—just for a moment. That’s what I want to do: create those moments, through food.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

We host a dinner series called w+n:blueblood once or twice a month in downtown Atlanta, at an undisclosed location. It’s an intimate, tasting-menu experience for a small group of guests at a time. We source, prep, and cook everything right in front of them. Despite having demanding 55+ hour day jobs, we pour a lot of time and energy into the dinners.

As a team of people who spend most of our time in the kitchen, we wanted the opportunity to expand beyond the culinary process and take control of the entire dining experience. We aim to underpromise and overdeliver. I design new physical menus each time, often mailing them to guests if we can manage the time. The plates are carefully curated, all glassware is vintage, and the audio system is high-quality yet old-school. The tables and chairs are Cesca and Chromcraft, and we even built our own exhaust system from scratch. The lighting is synced to change colors throughout the night, and we have three direct interactions with guests to explain the dishes and connect with them about our culinary vision.

It’s a very special thing we get to do, and we feel very fortunate to have the chance to do it.

Many people have suggested we expand to a brick-and-mortar space, but we’re hesitant. The way it is now is exactly what we want it to be. While expansion is tempting, we fear it could change the essence of what makes these dinners special. Scaling up might turn it into something different, and we don’t want to lose sight of what makes it meaningful to us and our guests.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. This isn’t rocket science, I’m not a doctor. SO you can do this too, for all the cooks that are down and out there.
2, The restaurant industry as a cook, will take you at your worst somewhere, and if allowed will run you down and burn you out. Know that, have that idea act as a warning. You’re walking on the edge of a knife and your youthful years are limited.
3. Find someone to work for or with, that you can grow, learn and limit from.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

“How do you eat a 100olb elephant? …………..One bite at a time.”
Meaning don’t focus on the elephant. Figure out the best most productive bites to take to complete the task. Write it down, break it down bit by bit. So you’re not thinking along the way, you’re simply following your own map.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Wickandnicks.com
• Instagram: wickandnicks
• Other: personal ig: majinbeen and Jared’s is chefjaredwarwick

Image Credits

Atlanta coffee shops
Sarah Stover