Dan Ringwood and Tony Palermo have been in the restaurant industry for over 48 years. Meeting in Detroit, Michigan in 1975 as cooks, they carefully planned their future and dreamed of opening a restaurant. Confident in their skills, they decided it was time to move on. Tony entered a thirteen state chili cook-off and took first place honors. He came to Los Angeles for the United States finals, but finished in a disappointing 4th place.