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For the longest time, chefs and restaurateurs were able to get products home cooks couldn't get, but that's not the case anymore.

I have a feeling that there is a gap in the food retail market - a niche below some of the current budget operators such as Aldi and Lidl.

A pastry chef's lifespan in a restaurant is limited. You have to open a bakery or pastry shop. There's only so far you can go in a restaurant.

I was raised on farms by people who didn't have Wal-Mart. They had to make their own sleds, harnesses, clothing, etc.

I miss being fawned over by restaurateurs and chefs.

I worked from 12 to 17, six years in a bakery. I was a pastry cook.

Finding specialty food items was a bit of a challenge in Asia in the early days of getting the Mozza's up and running. Everything is built on relationships, and when you start somewhere new, it takes time to develop that. Staffing can also present challenges.

Good kitchen equipment is expensive, but most items last a lifetime and will pay for themselves over and over again.

McDonald's is almost 50 years old. For 47 years we had a pretty consistent track record of being able to deliver admirable sales.

After years of working in professional kitchens, and then spending so much time in a lot of different home kitchens, I realized that there's a huge gap in the market where you have people who develop cookware but who don't actually cook.