Stephen Benzinger
The Wayward at Canopy Philadelphia | Philadelphia
April 2024
Growing up in Ocean County, New Jersey, Stephen Benzinger started to work in restaurants around the age of 16. Originally placed in the front of house as a busser, he didn’t like it one bit and nearly quit, but was moved to the back of house to peel shrimp and chop lettuce and decided to stick around. When the sauté chef didn’t show up to work one day, Benzinger got his break and was thrown onto the line. He went to college, but soon discovered his real passion was in the kitchen and dropped out. After a few years, Benzinger moved to Atlantic City to work as a cook at Harrah’s. While there, he was exposed to a diverse range of dining formats—from buffets to banquets, fine dining to room service—and spent nearly 10 years there learning and absorbing as much as he could. After a stint at Valley Forge Casino’s LP Steak and Fianco leading high-volume kitchens, he took a few months off from the industry.
In 2018, Benzinger returned to Atlantic City to help open the restaurants at Ocean Casino Resort, managing several outlets and a large culinary program. Three years later, he left Atlantic City and relocated to Philadelphia, where he joined the opening team at the W Hotel as executive sous chef. In 2022, Benzinger became the executive chef at the Canopy by Hilton. There, he runs the culinary program for the hotel and the French-inflected restaurant, The Wayward. Bringing his years of experience in hospitality to the forefront, Benzinger is focused on training and educating his staff and building the restaurant into a stand-alone, destination-worthy spot.
