Super paella

If you've visited the farmers markets in Naples, you may have seen Paul Schmidgall stir up a batch of his famous paella.

Although the classic Spanish dish wins over the farmers market crowds who pay $9 for a pint-sized container, Schmidgall has harbored much bigger ambitions for the business he started four years ago.

Today, the Naples entrepreneurial chef sells franchises of Fire & Rice, the paella catering business he created that includes everything from the pans to a trailer to transport the equipment to parties, events and festivals. “They'll drive away with a business in a box,” says Schmidgall, who plans to ink his first two franchise agreements at an upcoming trade show in Atlanta.