Avanti’s is the brainchild of a dynamic young man who confirms the idea that America is, indeed, the land of opportunity. Born in the village of St. Galen, Switzerland, Albert grew up on his family’s farm with eight brothers and sisters, where his chores included traditional trades like cheese making. In 1959, Albert settled in the small town of Walnut, Illinois. Though his command of English was sparse and his money even more so, the energetic young man put his knowledge of cheese making to work to sustain him. During a two-year tour in the Army, he developed new ideas that proved useful once he returned to civilian life. In 1964, as manager and co-owner of Gino’s Pizza, and with only two employees, he produced 200 frozen pizzas a day. After fifteen months of hard work and solid sales promotion, those figures grew to 20 employees and 5,000 pizzas a day.