What's the Girasole Grill concept all about?
That was our first restaurant. We call the food "fresh Italian with a California attitude." The menu features pastas, grilled meat and seafood, and entrée salads. We have an extensive wine list that includes a large selection of local Livermore Valley wines. Soon we hope to be putting in a wood-burning pizza oven and grill.

Have you devised ways to maximize the interaction between the three businesses?
Sure. And that really helps a lot. For example, I might use the grill at Bighorn to prepare some chickens for a private party off-site. And many of our employees are cross-trained to work in many different capacities within our organization.

But the Pampered Palate catering division has a separate kitchen, too, doesn't it?
Yes. It's about 2,300 square feet. When we bought the business, we also got three trucks. We decided to keep the name, too because it's kind of catchy and had a good reputation.

What sort of events do you cater?
We do it all: weddings, banquets, corporate events, family celebrations, office parties, you name it. We serve anywhere from 25 people to thousands. We have the capability of doing the whole thing, from tents and dishes to food and help. And, thankfully, business has been good. We're already booked into next year with parties every weekend.

How flexible are you with your catering menus?
We wouldn't dream of trying to force anything on anyone. That's where the other two concepts come in handy because we can pull ideas and products from all our menus. That's how we distinguish ourselves from the competition.

The competition out in your neck of the Bay Area must be pretty intense, eh?
There are something like 47 restaurants out here in an area that five to 10 years ago had only seven. That's one of our biggest challenges: to do more than keep up with the big dogs, but to be a leader. I just want to get better every day.

What are some of the ways you achieve that?
I believe in keeping the business manageable and profitable. That's the only way to provide the right level of service. You have to stay involved. For example, I still personally train all of our chefs and line cooks. Many of them now have been with me seven years, so they're able to bring in fresh ideas and know how we run our business.

I love to teach. Did you know that I used to do cooking shows and demonstrations? Of course, we have manuals and training guides, but I still like to work hands-on in the kitchen. And people do so well when you take the time to work with them yourself.

You know, you're one of the few restaurant owners who don't complain about retaining staff. What's your secret?
I don't have those headaches about employees because I always try to remember we're in a people business. Treat people with respect, appreciate their work and get to know them. It's just that simple. We try to give full-time staff health insurance, for example. They even get bonuses. My advice about keeping employees? Start by looking at yourself first.

But you sound as if you still like to balance all that hard work with fun?
Oh, yes. We like to say we have ketchup running through our veins. This job gets in your blood, and there's no way you could do it right if you didn't enjoy the work.

That signature item - Scoozzi! - sounds like a lot of fun. What's that like?
Start with a couple rounds of dough and fill the pocket with Gorgonzola and green onions. Then seal the edges. Deep fry it until it is crisp and golden and as soon as it comes out of the oil, rub it all over with garlic. We serve it at both Girasole and Bighorn with what we call tomato basil fresco, a fresh Italian-style "salsa." It's so popular that virtually every table orders one. Some folks just come in to have that as a snack with a bottle of wine.