Some people take world tours to experience a day in the life of Mike Ciccaglione.

The Calgary entrepreneur takes his world tour within the city limits and it’s all part of an honest day’s work.

The self-described nacho king starts his day under the broad brim of a sombrero, with the task of sampling the Mexican culinary recipes of his food manufacturer, El Molino Foods of Canada.

By lunchtime, the pleasant-natured entrepreneur is greeting customers and embracing friends at his Italian restaurant, Il Giardino Ristorante.

Larry MacDougal, Business Edge
Mike Ciccaglione has seen Calgary evolve from a meat-and-potato town.

Oh, and if there’s a soccer match on, you can catch the soccer-mad son of an Italian farmer at the Royal Duke, the downtown English pub he co-owns. He’s the one cheering for the Italians.

Ciccaglione, who is also a co-owner of the popular Calgary Pied Pickle restaurants, cooked up this worldly palate from a $20 bill.

That’s all the Italian-born, Swiss-educated Ciccaglione had in his pocket when he landed in Calgary in 1962.

1. Twenty dollars, are you kidding? (Shrugging) “It was OK. My sister was already here and I stayed with her. And there were lots of jobs, lots of opportunities.”

2. What was your first job?

“I worked as a waiter at Hy’s Steak House. The tips were good and there weren’t many people that could do the fancy things from Europe.”

3. Fancy things?

“You know, like cutting the chateaubriand, doing the cherry jubilee and peach flambé and making the Caesar salad. Those were novelties in those days. The only Canadian wine in those days was Calona Wine in that funny bottle. Now, there’s millions.”

4. So what drew you to your first business venture, the Prairie Dog Inn?

“It was a going business already and it was the only place in town with Mexican food, probably one of two or three places with pizza. In those days, you didn’t have a (liquor) licence, but you had your Coke, you had your coffee and you had your taco and your pizza and your pasta.”

5. What’s the key to success in the restaurant business?

“You have to have a little bit of knowledge, not just about the restaurant business but about people also. It’s one of the businesses you cannot do alone. You have to surround yourself with good managers, good waiters and good chefs. You surround yourself with good people and you give the people hospitality and good food. It’s not magic. Good food and hospitality has been around since the days of the Romans, I guess. I feel when a person goes out, whether he goes out for a coffee, a dinner or a glass of water, the hospitality has to be there.”

6. Your favourite Calgary restaurant ?

“Calgary’s full of good restaurants, some of the best in North America. It would be very hard if I would just say one. There’s too many to mention. When a new one opens, I go to it. We all can learn from each other.”

7. How has the restaurant business changed since the 1960s?

“When I came here, Calgary was a meat-and-potatoes town. Now, I don’t think there’s one cuisine you won’t find here. And the fastest growth is in Italian restaurants.”

8. What’s the best business decision you ever made?

“The best two decisions, I think, was starting this restaurant (Il Giardino Ristorante) three years ago, which has been very successful, and starting El Molino Foods (in 1972). There’s not any major chain in Canada, in food service or retailing, that doesn’t carry El Molino products, whether it’s tortilla chips or salsa or bruschetta.”

9. What’s the worst business decision you ever made?

“Some took a little longer than others (to be successful). I’m not trying to say I never made any mistakes, but I minimize my mistakes and make the little ones so I can correct the big one.”

10. Do you see your children working in your enterprises in the future?

“My son Michael is still going to school and my daughter Judy works for Shell Canada in human resources. One thing I learned in Switzerland (at Union Elvetia School) is that you don’t work in your father’s business. Whatever you do, you should get a job somewhere else first and then work in your father’s business later. I would like to see them join the business eventually.”

11. Is your wife Lucy involved in the businesses?

“She used to help me more when the business was small, but now that the businesses are bigger she can concentrate more on the volunteer work with charities. We do a lot for the needy and that’s important to us. For instance, for 10 years at the Pied Pickle, we’ve been doing over a thousand dinners for the needy on New Year’s Day.”

12. What business philosophy has worked for you?

“You have to feel good about yourself, feel good about the people working for you, surround yourself with winners and treat the people good.”

13. What kind of rapport do you strive for with employees?

“Those people are human like you and should be treated that way. In our restaurant, whether you’re a manager or you’re cleaning the floors or washing the dishes, you’ll be treated the same way.

“I’ll never forget when I worked at the Calgary Inn (now Westin Inn), we had a sign that said: ‘Don’t be too rough to your dishwasher, some day he might be your boss.’ And it happened.”

14. Are you spending as much time on your businesses now as ever?

“Sure, I enjoy what I’m doing. I think that’s what’s keeping me young.”

15. As someone who once considered investing in pro soccer in Calgary, do you think it will now succeed?

“I think, providing we don’t go crazy going after players with big money, it could work.”

16. So what’s your next major venture?

“We’re planning to expand El Molino to the United States. We think with the value of the dollar it could be a good thing. We are working right now by doing presentations in the northwestern United States and New York, so in the next six months to a year we should have some good results.”

17. Are there plans to expand your restaurants beyond Calgary?

“We feel that eventually we want to expand the Pied Pickle to larger cities in North America. I hope, within the next few years, there could be a few more Italian restaurants, which could be my hobby.”

18. What’s your favourite meal?

“There are two meals I really enjoy — good pasta and prime rib.”

19. (Dinner has arrived for the guest, Piccata al Limone, but there is no dish for the host...) Why aren’t you eating?

“I’m eating (raising his glass). It’s chicken broth. I had prime rib for lunch. I have to watch my weight, but it’s not so easy. The chefs at the restaurants are always saying: ‘Try this, try this... ’ ”

20. You can’t say no?

“You want to say no sometimes, but you can’t. You never insult a chef.”

IN PROFILE: Mike Ciccaglione

* Born/raised/age: Sessano, Italy, 61.

* Title/Enterprises: President/CEO/owner, El Molino Foods of Canada Ltd.; Calgary restaurateur (owner Il Giardino Ristorante, co-owner Pied Pickle restaurants, Royal Duke English pub, Zzip's Pizza).

* Family: Wife Lucy, son Michael Jr., daughter Judy.

* Education: Union Elvetia School (restaurant management, business administration), Lucerne, Switzerland.

* Resume: Ciccaglione worked as a waiter on arriving in Calgary in 1962, at Hy's Steak House, the Calgary Inn (now Westin Inn) and the Banff Voyageur Inn. His career as an entrepreneur was launched with his investment in the Prairie Dog Inn in 1967.

* Awards: Ciccaglione was recently presented with the Calgary Immigrant Aid Society’s Immigrant of Distinction Award for his business achievements.

THE COMPANY: El Molino Foods of Canada Ltd.

* Brass: Mike Ciccaglione, president/CEO/owner.

* Profile: El Molino, founded in 1972, is one of Canada's largest manufacturers of Mexican foods such as tortilla chips and salsas and is focusing on penetrating U.S. markets.

* Motto: Family pride makes the difference.

* Awards: El Molino won the People's Choice Salsa Award at the 1995 National Nutritional Foods Association contest.

* Web site: www.elmolinofoods.com

* Address: 3615 9th St. S.E., Calgary, T2G 3C7.

* Phone/Fax: 403-287-2000, 403-287-3851.