BROADCASTS.com

For Calvo, real estate is always \u201csecond on the list to your product.\u201d Having made her first restaurant\u2014located in a strip mall\u2014a success, and started Cracked as an artisan-driven chef sandwich food truck, she argues that location is not everything. Having a compelling brand and consistent flavor is key. \u201cPeople will drive as long as it\u2019s a good product.\u201d

Calvo notes that her experience is uncommon to most female chefs because she owns her business. Many women struggle to rise and are quietly, but swiftly blacklisted from the industry if they have a family. Even those who do rise have to struggle with the gender pay gap and earn less than a man for the same work.

\u201cIt\u2019s a delicate dance, the restaurant industry,\u201d says Calvo. \u201cI was researching how many executive chefs are women in hotels. There\u2019s a handful in America. They can\u2019t go up the ladder. Men are at the top of the chain.\u201d

Calvo does not think the industry is without hope. \u201cRoles are changing,\u201d she notes. Men are beginning to share the load of taking care of a family. However, as Calvo adds, \u201cIt\u2019s not going to start in the kitchens of hotels\u2014it has to start in society as a whole.\u201d

Check out the podcast above to learn more about the Cracked menu, crafting a \u201cleague of exceptional chefs,\u201d and her advice for the next generation of chefs. And if you would like to keep listening, check out The Barron Report podcast on iTunes Now!