Owensboro diners will soon have a new option for fresh pasta and Italian-inspired dishes as local restaurateur Ben Skiadas prepares to launch Benski’s – Italian Comfort Street Style, a fast-service Italian concept that will debut on a food truck.
Skiadas said the concept is designed to offer approachable, affordable Italian comfort food with a focus on fresh pasta and scratch-made sauces.
“Benski’s is going to be an Italian concept with fast service,” Skiadas said. “We’re starting out on the food truck, and we’re going to run catering as well. We’ve actually already booked eight big catering events, and we’re excited about that.”
The menu features a wide variety of options, including customizable pasta dishes, baked pastas, sandwiches, salads, desserts, and small bites. Skiadas described the offerings as “fresh pasta with big zesty sauces” paired with “really affordable quality dishes.”
“I think there’s always been space for more Italian in Owensboro,” Skiadas said.
Skiadas, who operates several restaurant concepts locally, said his culinary background naturally led to the development of an Italian-focused venture.
“I grew up in The Famous Bistro, and we definitely have Italian, Mediterranean cuisine, and Greek cuisine,” Skiadas said. “I’ve always been a lover of pasta, that’s for sure.”
He said the new concept fills a different niche compared to his existing restaurants.
“Bistro and Lure are definitely high-ticket items,” Skiadas said. “This is going to give me an ability to serve what I think is missing in the community, which is more just authentic, good, classic pasta sauces with good fresh pasta.”
The food truck menu includes items such as pepperoni arancini, bruschetta, layered lasagnas, baked pasta combinations, and chicken or eggplant Parmesan. Customers can also build their own pasta dishes by selecting from options like rigatoni, fettuccine, gnocchi, tortellini, and ravioli, paired with sauces including marinara, arrabbiata, vodka sauce, Alfredo, pesto cream, and porcini truffle cream.
Portion sizes range from lighter servings to larger combinations.
“With the fresh pasta, you’re going to have a create-your-own opportunity,” Skiadas said. “You can get that as a side or snack size. We’re calling it a Halfy.”
Benski’s will first be introduced to the broader community during Burger Week. Following that, Skiadas said he hopes to have the food truck operating regularly by March.
The concept will operate primarily from The Lot, Skiadas’s outdoor venue, with planned hours Thursday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. Customers will have the option to dine on-site, order carryout, or use delivery.
“We’ll have online ordering. We’ll have delivery, pickup, and catering, all at really good price points,” he said.
The Lot will continue functioning as an event space, which may occasionally result in temporary closures during private events.
“There will be some private events like weddings where we’ll be closed to the public,” he said. “But we’ll have big signage out that says open to the public or private event.”
While Benski’s is launching as a food truck concept, Skiadas said a future brick-and-mortar location remains a possibility.
“I debated on whether or not to just kick this into brick-and-mortar out of the gates,” Skiadas said. “But I like the low overhead and ease of just jumping in, almost like an incubator space, and trying this out off the truck.”
In addition to the new Italian concept, Skiadas said he will continue operating Lure Smoke Shack as a catering-focused barbecue venture.
“I’m very much staying in the barbecue catering game,” he said.
For now, he said he is focused on preparing for the official launch.
“I’m ready. I’m eager,” Skiadas said. “We’ll announce a hard date eventually, but I’m just excited to let the cat out of the bag finally and let people know that this is coming.”
