Carlo Piras had been investing in real estate for more than a decade. But the Italian American was more comfortable in a kitchen, having worked in restaurants since he was 16 years old. In 2006, he opened Café Americano and built it into a downtown staple.

When Piras sold the business in late 2012, he signed a non-compete clause that forced him to stay out of the restaurant business for at least five years.

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Source: http://www.heraldtribune.com