#73 Rick Gencarelli - Lardo & Grassa
/While Rick Gencarelli was living the farm to table movement in Vermont less than 10 years ago, what he read about Portland appealed to him enough to move his family out here, with the dreams of building an exceptional Italian restaurant. While he had the talent to shine in a chef-rich city like Portland, he lacked the funds. So, as many do, he set out to make delicious sandwiches from the confines of a food cart. It didn't take long for his sandwiches and attention to his craft elevated Lardo to the top of the PDX food cart world. Cut to five years later, and that food cart sits on the property where his first brick and mortar, Lardo, served as the springboard for a brand that now has three Portland locations, as well as his Grass brand, set to open its second Portland pasta-concept in 2016. It hasn't been easy. In this interview with Rick, he talks about some of the challenges he's faced, including the current fight with Ramzy Hattar over ownership and name rights to his own company.