What happened to Chef Ben from Below Deck? From Michelin Star training to Bravo icon

Below Deck legend Ben Robinson was an on-and-off part of the franchise for around six years and is known to many as simply Chef Ben these days, even after leaving Bravo’s hit show. Here’s everything you need to know about what he does now.

Ben is the OG Chef of the Below Deck franchise, joining Captain Lee’s crew during the very first episode in 2013.

Later, he joined the cast of Below Deck Med for Season 1 and was often locking horns with Hannah Ferrier, who lasted a number of seasons on Captain Sandy’s crew until she was dramatically fired.

As Ben left on his own terms, though… What happened after the show?

What happened to Chef Ben Robinson from Below Deck? Catering company explained

After his exit from the show, Ben went on to work as a private chef with five-star clients across America and Europe. His catering company is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and can be booked privately if you wish to try his food.

His reality TV career didn’t just stop after Below Deck, because he went on to make appearances on Beachside Brawl and Below Deck Galley Talk.

On the side, he food blogs on Instagram and is almost close to having 1M followers!

Does Chef Ben from Below Deck have a Michelin star?

Ben Robinson joined the hit show after 15 years of work experience in high end restaurants. Most notably, he completed an apprenticeship at three-star Michelin Star restaurant called The Fat Duck.

The Fat Duck is known as a temple for contemporary high-end cuisine, based in Maidenhead, England. It was there where he honed his skills and later was picked up by Bravo to join the cast.

Does Chef Ben come back in Below Deck? Return explained

Yes, Chef Ben does return! He was always well-loved for his competency by the Below Deck cast members and he was called to step in for other Chefs on several occasions.

He returned to cover in Below Deck Med Season 4, after the firing of Chef Mila Kolomeitseva, and also in Below Deck Season 3 after the exit of Chef Leon Walker.

Chef Ben’s return to help Captain Sandy is one of the most iconic of its kind on the show. In the early days, cast members very much stuck to their regions – and then as the show got bigger, there was a hunger for him to reappear on screen. So, he did!

Will Chef Ben come back again? Below Deck future explained

Chef Ben went on an Instagram live session with Bugsy Drake, where he revealed that he wanted to retire as a Yacht Chef and focus on being a private chef off-seas.

There, the reality star admitted that he felt a bit ‘too old’ to rejoin the Bravo Below Deck franchise.

While it does look somewhat off the cards to see the spiky-haired master cook come back for another season, never say never.

Is Chef Ben married?

Chef Ben is happily engaged to his new girlfriend Kiara, after getting down on one knee back in May 2023. They plan to get married soon.

After making it official and going public on Instagram, she said: “I’m speechless and overwhelmed with so much happiness and love!”

Fans of Below Deck will be waiting for the big day, that’s for sure.