From Scratch with Jessica Harris

Jessica speaks with Dorothy Hamilton, founder of the French Culinary Institute (FCI), one of the country's leading centers for culinary education. FCI, now part of the International Culinary Center, offers total immersion courses to people looking to become professional chefs or just master chefs of their own kitchen. Dorothy explains how she became one of the pioneers of culinary education, from scratch.

Jessica speaks with Jordan Kassalow, co-founder of the Scojo Foundation, an organization that sells low-cost eyeglasses in developing countries such as India, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. Jordan is an optometrist who also co-founded Scojo Vision, a company that sells high end reading glasses to stores like Barneys, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue. The company donates 5% of its sales to the Scojo Foundation. We'll learn how Jordan is pioneering affordable eye care in the developing world, and changing the livelihood of thousands of individuals, from scratch.

Some entrepreneurs start companies, but others pioneer whole industries. Jake Burton, founder of Burton Snowboards, both built an international snowboard company and helped to turn snowboarding from an underground activity to a more widely acceptable sport. He convinced ski resorts one by one to allow snowboarders on the mountains, and, with his help, snowboarding became an Olympic sport in 1998. Jake tells Jessica the story behind launching both his company, and the snowboarding industry, from scratch. Listen to the interview

The benefits of  breast-feeding are legion (helping with baby’s immune and cognitive development, facilitating parental/child bonding, etc.), but its challenges are also numerous-- especially for new moms unfamiliar with the process.  After going through some of the frustrations of breastfeeding firsthand, Felina Rakowski-Gallagher decided to open a breast feeding boutique on the upper west side of Manhattan. Her store is cleverly named “The Upper Breast Side.”  Her slogan: “You bring your breasts, we’ve got the rest.” Jessica speaks with the ex- New York City cop turned breast feeding boutique owner about how Felina’s store grew from a business run out of her apartment to a premier destination for everything pertaining to breast-feeding in New York, from scratch.

Entrepreneur, conservation philanthropist, and documentary filmmaker are some of the titles that Doug Tompkins has possessed over his career. Doug’s love of mountaineering led him to start North Face, the outdoor apparel company. He then cofounded the international clothing giant, Esprit, which he later sold. Doug has spent the last few decades focusing his energies on sustainable farming, land conservation and biodiversity preservation in Chile and Argentina. With the purchase of more than 2 million acres of land in South America, Doug has pioneered one of the largest private conservation efforts in the world. Doug speaks to Jessica about his journey from selling dresses out of a van to conserving South America’s natural environment, from scratch.

One of the most difficult issues for a new parent is going back to work after your baby is born. If you can't spend time with your child, you at least want to find the best care possible. What are some of the high quality childcare options? Jessica's guest is Linda Mason, the co-founder of Bright Horizons Family Solutions, the nation's leading provider of worksite childcare services. Linda started the company with her husband Roger Brown in 1986, and Bright Horizons has over 600 centers catering to children from infancy to six years old. Linda shares the challenges she faced —professional and maternal— while launching Bright Horizons, from scratch.

Photo: Quentin Bacon Ina Garten is a cookbook author and the star of Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics, which airs on the Food Network. She is also the cofounder of a line of baking mixes, called Barefoot Contessa Pantry, which is sold in specialty food stores throughout North America. Ina speaks to Jessica about how she switched careers— from working in the White House Office of Management and Budget to launching her culinary profession— from scratch. Listen to the interview

When we see a skyscraper or a museum, we might marvel at its shape, its height, or the materials used; but what was the process behind the building's initial design? Who are some of the architects influencing our landscape? Jessica speaks with one such pioneer, Richard Meier. Richard's emphasis on clean design and natural light has made him one of the world's leading modern architects. His projects include The Getty Center in Los Angeles, Perry Street apartments in New York City, and the Jubillee Church in Rome, among others. Richard explains how he built some of the world's most respected buildings, as well as his own career, from scratch.

Some people might look at a wooden chair as a functional piece of furniture, but others might see it as a work of art, the result of careful craftsmanship. Who are some of the country's leading woodworkers who emphasize form as well as function? Jessica speaks with one such entrepreneur, Thomas Moser. Tom is the founder of Thomas Moser, a wooden furniture company recognized worldwide for its clean, simple designs. Tom explains how he built his wood shop into a multi-million dollar company, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Ballerinas started wearing point shoes in the late 19th century. Despite advancements in the dance world, the construction of toe shoes has remained pretty much unchanged. The same materials-- paste, cardboard, paper and leather-- are still used today, and the result is a dancer prone to excess pain and injury. Eliza Gaynor Minden, a former dancer, designed a more modern, longer lasting point shoe to address this stress. Eliza explains how Gaynor Minden shoes successfully overcame controversy and finally gained acceptance among the world's leading dancers, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Jules is the founder of Kroll, the leading risk consulting firm. Jules is considered one of the pioneers of the modern day corporate investigative and security industry, investigating individuals, governments and corporations. Kroll's work includes restructuring Enron after its bankruptcy and uncovering Ferdinand Marcos' secret wealth in the mid 1980s. Jessica speaks with Jules about how he built an international company that works to uncover corruption, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Women in developing countries often do not have access to adequate sanitary protection because such products are prohibitively expensive. As a result, menstruating women miss a significant amount of school and work, which leads to serious economic consequences for women and society overall. Elizabeth Scharpf, founder of Sustainable Health Enterprises (S.H.E), is addressing this issue by helping to create sustainable, low-cost methods of sanitary pad production and distribution. S.H.E emphasizes market-based solutions to social issues in developing countries, and adequate sanitary care is S.H.E’s first initiative. Jessica speaks with Elizabeth about how she is building S.H.E to focus on sustainable, market friendly solutions to social challenges, from scratch.

Vitamin consumption is often taken for granted in prosperous nations. In contrast, populations in developed countries often do not have access to essential vitamins or minerals. Especially pregnant women in developing countries run the risk of denying their fetuses proper nutrition because basic foods are not fortified with micronutrients like folic acid, iron, iodine, and vitamin A. Jessica speaks with David Dodson, founder of Project Healthy Children, an organization that fights malnutrition in developing countries through food fortification programs. By helping governments fortify foods with micronutrients, David and his team are helping women have healthier pregnancies, leading to fewer nutrient-related birth defects. David describes how an overseas trip inadvertently led to the start of an organization that saves lives, from scratch. Interview