Second Life Podcast: This Is How Renowned Chef Nancy Silverton Built Her Empire

Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear's parent company, Clique Brands, each episode will give you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on iTunes, and stay tuned. We'll be releasing new episodes on Mondays.

It started with a crush. Renowned chef, restaurant owner, and author Nancy Silverton first developed an interest in the food industry because she had a crush on a student cook at the dining hall of her college dorm and convinced him to hire her in the kitchen. She fibbed and told him she loved cooking, but she quickly had to buy herself a cookbook and start learning. (She still has it to this day.) It was there that she realized she wanted to pursue cooking.

"It was definitely meant to happen," Silverton says of her experience in the dining hall kitchen. "There's no question that I found my calling early on in life, and it's something that people who do find their calling take for granted that everybody does not always find it. It was such a clear moment to me to this day when I was standing in this sort of very antiseptic kitchen, a lot of stainless steel around me, but I just remember thinking, Oh wow. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life."

In the newest episode of Second Life, Silverton talks to Hillary Kerr about her experience dropping out of college and attending cooking school, opening restaurants Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza, and La Brea Bakery, authoring cookbooks, and more. Head to iTunes to subscribe to Second Life. 

Next, find out how jewelry designer Kendra Scott launched her billion-dollar brand.