Ben entered Backroads via its delicious backstage, as a Camp Chef. Despite having studied in Switzerland and North Carolina, volunteered in the Amazon and acted in Mexico, he’s never found a place that beats his homeland of Northern California. But the search continues— as does the search for the perfect taco (the best one so far is Tacos El Guero on Jose Moran street in Mexico City, in case you were wondering). He left full-time trip leading in 2018 to pursue a career as a speech-language pathologist, but couldn't stay away and now moonlights as a staff writer.