I started out as a rare book specialist at Pacific Book Auction Galleries after graduating college, and fell in love with antiquarian books. In time, my collecting interest became focused on books on food - specifically, Victorian-era books on how to open your own retail food business. I was fascinated by the thought and philosophy that embodied the Victorian-era fishmonger, baker, farmer or butcher, and how those ideas apply in the modern era. I think of all subjects, food and drink tell us the most about other cultures, traditions, economies and sentiments.

In 1999, I swiveled from my intellectual job to a visceral one: I became a dog walker, joining my wife Paula in her new and booming dog-walking venture, and together, we opened Noe Valley Pet Company. We worked together for ten years, switching off walking groups of dogs and running our pet shop. When the retail space next door opened up, I decided to re-enter the book world, and open a culinary bookstore. It was 2008, the bottom of the recession, and I figured I could only go up from there. And I was right—take that, mom and dad!