PETROGNANO, TUSCANY—I wear a cap most days with a single word stitched across the front. “Onward.” A guest of mine here in Tuscany asked me what that meant. Was it a company name or a clothing brand? I told him it was just a word that’s meant something to me for a long time. More than a motto or a slogan, it’s a way I’ve learned to move through the world. It’s kept me pressing forward when standing still would’ve been easier.
That guest’s question got me thinking about where it all started. Some words just stick. They slip into your vocabulary, and before you know it, they’re steering everything you do. “Onward” turned out to be one of those words for me. It wasn’t planned or polished; it just crept in. The more life threw at me, the more that word kept showing up. Not as a slogan or a motto. Just a way of moving forward when staying put wasn’t an option. It’s been a key to whatever progress I’ve made.
I’ve spent over four decades in the restaurant business. I’ve written books, columns, built businesses, TV shows, founded nonprofits, and traveled the world hosting tours. I’ve succeeded a fair amount.
I might have failed even more.
Though every step of the way, that one word—Onward—has kept me pressing forward.
It’s so ingrained in my vernacular that I began wondering when I started using the word. After the interaction with that guest, I started searching my content and the earliest use I could find was in 2011 when I was on a six-month sojourn through Europe with my family. The early part of the journey was grueling, and we were traveling at what seemed like a frantic pace. I never stopped writing this weekly column while I was over here, and after a couple of weeks I closed the column with the word “Onward.”
Turns out, that word didn’t just belong to that trip. Somewhere along the way, it crept into everything else—restaurants, books, columns, Extra Table, and hosting groups overseas. It became a constant that kept me pressing forward through good days and bad.
It’s never been a slogan or something polished for show. It’s the thread that’s run through everything—business and life. Picking up the pieces when things fell apart and being grateful I had the chance to try again. Taking the next step when it would’ve been easier to quit. It’s not branding. It’s just getting back up and moving forward. It’s what’s carried me through most seasons of this journey. Onward isn’t just a word. It’s the foundation I’ve tried to build everything around, and I’m grateful for every hard-earned step.
My high school football coach used to say, “can’t never could” (he pronounced it “caint”). To me, onward is about momentum. Not getting stuck when things don’t go your way. Not wallowing when a venture fails or when a plan falls apart. It’s about pulling yourself out of the mud, hosing it off, taking an honest look at it, and figuring out the next step.
I’ve always been restless by nature. Maybe it comes from starting young in this business. Maybe it’s just part of my wiring. But if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that forward motion beats sitting still—or even worse, taking backward steps—every time. No matter the obstacle, I try do my best to keep my focus the same: Keep moving. Keep building. Keep serving. Keep creating. Don’t give up.
The restaurant business can humble you fast. A bad night of service can teach me more about leadership than a month of glowing reviews. You learn where the cracks are. You learn how to fix them. It’s easy to get stuck, to blame the world, or worse—to blame yourself. Moving forward has always been the best I could figure out. Maybe not the only way, but it’s what’s worked for me.
I’ve tried to build my life around that principle. Whether it’s in the kitchen, at the keyboard, or standing in front of a group of travelers explaining the history of a Tuscan dish, the approach is the same. Do the work. Learn from what doesn’t work. Move on.
I’ve closed restaurants. I’ve faced failure head-on. And I’ve been close to bankruptcy more than once in my 37-year career in the restaurant business. I’ve stumbled plenty. But I’ve learned that failing doesn’t make you a failure. Quitting does. So, I just keep pressing forward.
Today, business is stronger than it’s ever been. The companies are doing record numbers after almost four decades, the leadership team is solid, and everyone is plugged into our core values. It didn’t happen by accident. It’s the work, but it’s mostly the people around me and blessings I didn’t deserve. It’s refusing to give up when things got hard. It’s holding onto that one word that’s carried us through every storm: Onward.
Failure’s not the enemy. It’s the teacher. It’s been the necessary struggle I’ve had to walk through to get to the other side. Every setback was a lesson disguised as disappointment. You fail enough, and you start to see the pattern—you learn, you adjust, and you keep pressing forward. Every misstep has its place.
I’ve learned that leading—at least the way I’ve tried to do it—isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about showing up, putting in the work, and trying to stay true to the mission. It’s about admitting when you’ve made mistakes and figuring out how to fix them. No blaming. Ever. It’s about lifting people up, not dragging them down. And it’s about surrounding yourself with people who believe in the mission just as much as you.
Creativity plays a part, too. Whether it’s a new restaurant concept, a book idea, or a new way to help more people through Extra Table, creativity keeps things fresh. But creativity alone doesn’t get the job done. Execution does. And execution means moving forward, regardless of what stands in the way.
Complaining and negativity? They’re dead weight. They don’t solve anything, and they have often held me back. Alex Hormozi says, “Whiners are dead to me,” harsh, but there’s truth in that. If you’re wasting energy complaining, you’re not doing the work. I’ve learned over the years to tune out the noise and focus on what matters. Positivity isn’t just about being cheerful; it’s about being productive. It’s about living in the solution instead of the problem.
Being in active recovery since the early 1980s has taught me—and sometimes forced me— to live in the solution. To me, living in the solution means understanding what you can’t change, taking action on what you can, and gaining the understanding to know the distinction between the two. It’s an old idea, but it’s true. And it’s at the heart of everything we do.
So, whether it’s running restaurants, writing columns, building businesses, or leading tours, the mindset is the same. Keep moving. Keep building. Keep serving. Keep creating. And most importantly, keep pressing forward.
“Onward” isn’t just a sign-off. It’s a reminder of how blessed I’ve been—and way beyond what I deserve—to keep pressing forward, one hard-earned step at a time.
Onward.
