Thistle

I think you have conjoined 2 episodes- I was yelling at the lady in the Lucca episode who wanted the country house w/ pool, but they chose the right place in the end (although I was waiting to hear how they would deal w/ pigeons). & the single lady w/ the travel business moving to Vietri also chose the best place,the single apartment in the city. I hope both of them love their homes.

Hey, Joe was ready to spend all kinds of money to make her a marshmallow mogul.

I think combining the restaurant vs. wholesale food product concepts is their biggest problem- face it, you're never going to make large scale, wholesale production sexy or interesting for tv viewers (ooh, drama on the packaging line! & you can't do a small scale re-design of space/logo/uniforms (how random is some of that crap?). I didn't really watch the garbanzo pasta episode for that reason (also, I don't like pasta or garbanzo beans)-they may have a solid business concept, but not something I'd want to watch.

Used to hate him (based on his appearances on other shows), but he's starting to grow on me-& I bet he knows how to cook, as well as how to run a restaurant. I'd like to see an episode on a BBQ place, where his expertise would show & Joe would be slightly at a loss. & I'd also like it if they moved production out of LA, & went around the country (I'm sure that's not cost effective, though)- no more Beverly Hills storefronts & $6 marshmallows. I've been watching "American Grilled" on the Travel channel, sort of a cross between "Chopped" & "BBQ Pitmasters", w/ David Guas hosting, & it's quite enjoyable-local competitors & ingredients. & no dessert! I usually turn off "Chopped" after the main.

I'll start this, this has been my favorite episode so far, because it had the only food I wanted to eat. I like how Tim & Joe say, "this is 3 line cooks trying to start a restaurant" & both of them were clueless when one guy said, "release the kraken," (do they live under a rock?) Their food looked delicious, they seemed to have a handle on the costs, & they accepted the financing offer at the end, because they wanted to start their business. I'd put my money on line cooks before some of these hobbyists (excuse me, artisan/craftsman/marketing whiz).

I agree with all of the questions you raised- I think they absolutely picked sugar knife because it wasn't a well thought out concept, the female partner seemed quite inflexible, & thus, it would provide a lot more drama. & I also can't believe she turned down Joe's offer-it would have funded their business, she wouldn't have to deal w/ retail (no way are they going to flood the country w/ DIY alcohol infused s'mores "bars"), & she could do her crafty, mail order booze s'mores on the side.

I was sure they would go w/ the other concept- the Sticky Pig folks seemed to have a better product, packaging, & growth potential. I'm not a sweets person, so neither one sounds like something I'd really be interested in, but I could see buying sweets w/ bacon as a gift, alcohol-laced s'mores? Not so much (they sound pretty gross). I could not believe the ending either, w/ both Tim & Joe willing to throw a substantial investment at them, & they didn't like the terms. Those must have been some amazing marshmallows...