Udi Baron Food entrepreneur strives for tastes that evoke old memories.

• Author: Bronikowski, Lynn
• Position: EXECUTIVE EDGE

All Udi Baron wanted was a good cup of espresso, breads and pastries reminiscent of those served in Europe. Little did he know his craving would lead to Udi's Foods--a multimillion dollar Denver-based food empire known for artisan breads, granola and gluten-free products.

A native of Israel, Baron grew up in the small farming community of Hayogev, where his family raised chickens, cows and grew their own vegetables.

"My parents were intellectuals who had to flee Austria, so when they got to Israel, they had to start all over," Baron said. "Their farm was diversified, so if something didn't work, you had something else to fall back on."

When Baron moved to Denver in 1980 with his American-born wife, Fern, he longed for the farm-fresh foods of his homeland.

"I had this memory of the farm, and I craved what I thought was good," said Baron, 62. "It's not that it was so much more tasty, but it was the memories I had."

After working as chief financial officer for an insulation manufacturing company and later becoming a financial planner, Baron built up "a nice book of business, and I was able to walk away because I had enough to survive for a few years."

He used that time to cook for friends and spent a year learning to bake before opening Udi The Sandwich Man in 1994, a small sandwich business that has since grown into six family businesses, including Udi's Bakery, a catering company, six cafes and two national companies - Udi's Gluten-free and Udi's Granola.

"I was obsessed and found myself going all over the city to find ingredients to make a meal for myself," said Baron, who would land Costco as his first customer for his artisan breads. "I was trying to recreate all the food that I loved."

He set himself apart by focusing on sandwiches, stayed conservative and paid his vendors in cash. And he grew his business slowly.

"I believe good business people are risk averse, so even though I was taking risks, it was always calculated," he said. "Unless you are really lucky...