Military & Veterans Life Cover Story: From Combat Boots to Chef Toques After Ben Lubin completed his service with the U.S. Marines in 2009, he returned to his hometown of West Palm Beach, Fla., and opened a wine bar. It didn’t take long for Lubin to realize that opening a wine bar without a restaurant background was like going into combat without proper training. To ensure The Blind Monk was successful, the former artillery officer enrolled in a six-month culinary program at the International Culinary Center.