Ben Kaplan

Although Ben now serves as Andaman Thai Cuisine's marketing director and co-owner, he once had an even more important role—our first, youngest, and most important food critic. Growing up the son of Patana and Gary in a house filled the delicate tastes and sweet aromas of the most amazing Thai food, Ben learned early on that food isn't merely something that provides the energy to complete your day, but also a source of inspiration, creativity, comfort, and good health.

Even as a toddler, Ben greatly benefitted from regular cooking lessons from his mother who viewed understanding food an important part of his overall education.  As he grew older, Patana taught him how to cook special meals that help with focus, celebrate a moment, bring together friends, and even "show a girl you really like that you want to take things to the next level."

When not sampling food at the restaurant for "research" purposes, Ben works as an author, speaker, columnist, entrepreneur, and media personality.  He regularly writes and speaks on topics including college scholarships, student loans, financial aid, savings and investing, lifelong education, career success, and other self-empowerment topics.

Known as "America's Scholarship Coach," Kaplan has authored more than a dozen books and CDs including How to Go to College Almost for Free (HarperCollins Publishers), the best-selling book in the genre with more than 400,000 copies in print.  The book is based on his experiences in winning two dozen college scholarships worth $90,000—enough to graduate from Harvard University virtually for free.

Kaplan has also been featured as an education and personal finance expert on more than 2,000 TV and radio programs, including appearances on Oprah, Good Morning America, NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, Fox News Channel, National Public Radio, and the BBC. For more information on his writing and professional work, visit www.CityofCollegeDreams.org.