Like in cooking, building a business is all about the quality of the ingredients and the love you put into it. Then throw in the lagniappe -- that's Louisiana French for that unexpected something extra.

This has been the recipe -- and mission statement -- of chef entrepreneur Calvin Harris, who started his first company, Harris Food Group, in 2007. He expects to turn a profit this year.

But the 39-year-old's entrepreneurial juices have been simmering for decades.

Harris grew up in a middle-class family in Texas. After his mother died when he was young, the family (he has four brothers and a sister) moved closer to the grandparents, where life was survival of the fittest: ``You had to speak out or you wouldn't be heard.''

His father, a preacher who also owned a barbecue restaurant, eventually remarried, and his stepmom made wedding cakes. Harris made money mowing lawns, but soon turned that into a growing business, with other kids doing much of the labor. ``I worked because I had to, but I always wanted to be in control of my own destiny,'' Harris says now.

While attending college, Harris would work for free on weekends as a baker for a family friend, who talked him into applying for the Culinary Institute of America in New York. He didn't think he would get in, much less be able to afford it. He won a full-ride scholarship to the school, graduated with honors, then went to study in Europe under a French master chef.

A KNACK FOR R&D

After four years as an executive chef, Harris changed course, creating menu items for T.G.I.Friday's, then Arby's, which brought him to Fort Lauderdale in 1999. In 2004, he went to work for Burger King. The entrepreneurial R&D nature of these various jobs appealed to him. Instead of cooking for 100 to 200 people a night, he was now serving hundreds of thousands.

His last position, as senior director of product innovation at Burger King, was certainly more than comfortable. But like a lot of entrepreneurs, he had a burning desire to start his own company.

``I wasn't even 100 percent sure what it would be. I had just picked out categories. It was trial and error at first. I consulted and started building relationships.''

He also started small -- just himself and his vice president -- working from home to create the Harris Food Group.

``All of my experience and training of my former jobs prepared me for this moment,'' said Harris. His company's first focus -- sauces and dry seasoning -- now has evolved into refrigerated sides and entrees.

``Oh man, we made a lot of mistakes. I can't even count them all,'' said Harris. ``We didn't know what we were doing at all.''

He believed that if you have a good name, good product and good pricing, the business will follow. He now realizes, though, that they didn't do enough research and planning initially.

``My father would always say as long as you believe in God and believe in yourself, you will succeed. I thought of that when things were bad.''

The turning point came last year, when T.G.I.Friday's was looking for a second supplier. ``It's just as easy to think big as think small, so why think small?,'' he said.

FEELING THE HEAT

Then the phone call came. The company had decided to stay with its original supplier. ``I'll call you back in five minutes,'' Harris told the executive.

He called his VP. Between them they came up with more reasons why T.G.I.Friday's should choose Harris Food Group. By the end of the day, Harris had persuaded the executive over the phone to give him a shot with about 20 percent of the business for the mashed potatoes served in all domestic restaurants. Now he has all the business.

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