Bringing chocolate back

David Taiclet President, Gourmet Food and Gift Baskets Group, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Inc.
David Taiclet President, Gourmet Food and Gift Baskets Group, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM Inc.

The Taiclet file

David Taiclet
President, Gourmet Food and Gift Baskets Group
1-800-FLOWERS.COM Inc.

Born: Monterey, Ind., a town of 200
Education: Graduated from Notre Dame in 1985 on Army ROTC scholarship, then served four years active duty. Earned MBA from Harvard Business School in 1991.
What was your first job, and what did you learn from it?
I grew up in a family business; my father owned the local grain elevator. So I grew up working in that business, doing everything. That was probably my first experience with customers and doing anything you could to keep customers happy — and farmers are a tough group of customers.
Favorite candy?
I’m a Fannie May Pixie fan.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
I’m married with four kids, and I love my family. If I could just have the power to have those moments with my family that are very special to last a little longer, maybe go back in time and relive a couple of them, that would be pretty cool.
What’s your favorite way to relieve stress?
One, I like spending time with my family. Two, I don’t read a lot of books, but I’m a voracious newspaper/magazine reader. Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fortune and The Economist are my four things I like to carry around. And if I have a lot of time, I love to fly fish.
What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I ever got was probably from my father, who said, ‘Surround yourself with good people — both your friends and your businesspeople — because it will make not only you better but your organization better. Throughout my life, whether it was in college or the army or when I owned my own business or worked for others, I’ve always focused on: Am I surrounded by good people, and have I hired good people? I would say that’s been one of the elements of Fannie May’s success is that we’ve attracted, hired and retained really good people to the organization.
Favorite local spot for a business lunch?
Maybe it’s because of my roots growing up in a small town, but I love the local diners and I love the local flavor. We have a plant in Lake Forest and there’s a Liberty Restaurant in Libertyville, Ill. In Glen Ellen, Ill., there’s a small restaurant called Baroney’s there that we’ll go to. In Cleveland, there’s Gasoline Alley down in Bath, but for formal dinners in Cleveland, Ken Stewart’s Lodge is my favorite. And then in Chicago it’s typically, for a formal dinner, Gibson’s. I typically stay at a place called The Talbot Hotel downtown Chicago on Delaware street and there’s a casual dinner right across the street called The Feast Restaurant that I think has really interesting food and wine.