Benito Molina was born in Mexico City in 1968. He graduated from the New England Culinary Institute (NECI), where he met his mentor, Michel LeBorgne, who sent him to Brittany, France, to learn classic seafood handling techniques.

Back in America, he worked as a chef at chef Todd English’s “Olives” restaurant, where he adopted his Mediterranean style. Then, Mexican winemaker Hugo D’Acosta hired him as head chef at “La Embotelladora Vieja” in Ensenada, where he met chef Solange Muris. Three years later, Benito and Solange opened their own restaurant, “Manzanilla”, considered one of the best in Mexico and the world.