Papa Ben was born in Krakow, Poland in 1928. His father, Lazar owned a chocolate company famous for their chocolate covered wafer cookies. Lazar shared his love of baking with his son, and during family holidays they made Mandelbroyt, which delighted the entire family and soon became the family tradition for special occasions.

His father's passion for baking, which was instilled in the family, allowed the family to survive outside the ghettos for a portion of the war. Using the stone oven in their cottage, Ben and his father worked together to prepare the finest baked goods for family, friends and their surrounding village.

In September of 1947, after the war tore apart his family, Papa Ben arrived in Brooklyn, New York to reunite with his only surviving family member, his sister, Lola. Ready to embrace a new country and the opportunities that lay before him, Ben moved to Los Angeles with little money in his pocket, but with the determination and the excitement to succeed.

America gave Ben opportunities he never dreamed he'd have; an education and a successful career in the real estate business. It was here that he met the love of his life, Jean, and together they raised two beautiful daughters, Sherry and Gail.

With the expansion of his family, and inquisitive grand children wanting to know the family history, Ben rediscovered his long lost passion for baking. Sharing the best memories of his childhood, including the secret family recipes, he was able to heal the wounds of the past and bring hope to the future.

And now Papa Ben and the rest of our family, invite you to share the fruits of our labor. We hope the fresh baked aroma of Papa Ben's Mandelbroyt will take you back to a time and place where family traditions were started.
Celebrate family! Indulge in our family tradition!

Papa Ben's Kitchen is also dedicated to the remembrance of the Holocaust. The Zachor Holocaust Remembrance Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Ben Lesser, that supports Holocaust education, remembrance and tolerance of and for all people. The Foundation's mission is to ensure that the tragedies of the Holocaust will never be forgotten. As part of the commitment to this cause, a percentage of profits from Papa Ben's Kitchen will be donated to the Zachor Holocaust Remembrance Foundation.