Ben Grupe

The Path

Training at Racquet Club Ladue and The Greenbrier gave Ben Grupe the framework, but the work that followed supplied the repetition. Early roles at Windows on Washington put him on setup and bussing, where timing, movement, and service pace become part of the job. He then moved into back-of-house fundamentals at B. Tomas in Clayton as dishwasher, before taking the next station as salad cook at B. Tomas in Clayton. Each step added another layer of kitchen discipline. Leadership came through structure as much as technique. As captain of ACF Culinary Team USA (2016), Grupe worked in a role that requires organization under scrutiny, not just individual execution. In 2016, he became Executive Chef at Elaia and Olio (from 2016), moving into a position with broader responsibility over the pass, the team, and the standard being set. The progression reads plainly: entry-level service, line work, team leadership, and then the command required of an Executive Chef. By 2020, that progression had become Tempus (since 2020), where Ben Grupe became chef and founder in The Grove, St. Louis. The restaurant is the direct result of a career built station by station, with each earlier role contributing a working knowledge of how kitchens move and how standards hold.

The Work Today

At Tempus in The Grove, St. Louis, Ben Grupe is chef and founder, responsible for the kitchen's daily output and the larger shape of the restaurant. The role asks for more than menu decisions: it demands consistency, pace, and the ability to maintain control across service. The standard he states is direct: “To consistently provide a flawless dining experience, with exceptional Food, exquisite presentations and superlative service.” The same thread runs through his work as captain of the ACF Culinary Team. That title reflects a career built through repetition and accountability, from setting up events at Windows on Washington to leading in competitive kitchen settings. At Tempus, those layers show up in the way the restaurant is run and in the expectation that each plate and each service meet the same exacting measure.

In Their Words “To consistently provide a flawless dining experience, with exceptional Food, exquisite presentations and superlative service.”

Acclaim

Leadership with ACF Culinary Team USA sits alongside the current role at Tempus, and together those posts outline the range of Ben Grupe's career. One is competitive and organizational; the other is ongoing, operational, and public-facing. Read together, they show a chef whose path moved from entry-level service to the responsibility of shaping a restaurant of his own.