Personalities
Ben Richardson
Executive Chef, Novo
Chef Ben graduated from the California Culinary Academy in 1996. He worked in the Bay Area and Central Valley for several years before moving to the Central Coast in 2003. Ben was hired as the chef at Novo prior to the restaurant's opening which allowed him to play a roll in the original menu design, while building new relationships with the local farmers in the area. In 2008, Ben co-founded Two Cooks Catering. After three years of catering throughout the Central Coast, Ben began teaching at Cuesta College. Whole foods along with meat and seafood butchery were the focus of his curriculum. He returned to Novo in 2013, picking up where he left off working as the kitchen manager for 2 years before taking over as Executive Chef. Ben lives in San Luis Obispo with his wife and two boys.
