How Ideas Are Born

LA Daily News:

Roxanna Bina had a curious packing list when it came to preparing her 9-month-old son, Felix, for his first trip outside the U.S.

Then again, the Santa Barbara mom is far from ordinary. A foodie who had sworn off jarred baby food, Bina cooked and pureed gourmet organic dishes for her infant son nearly every day, including his favorite, Provence Chicken, made with premium butter, rosemary, sage and thyme.

The trip in question was to Bermuda in March 2006. Bina’s movie-producer husband, Emmanuel Itier, was a juror at the Bermuda International Film Festival, and Bina was determined to travel as a family. Still, she worried about the spicy restaurant food she would find and its effect on Felix’s sensitive palette.

“I Swasn’t sure we should even go. Then I figured, well, why not make a bunch of meals, freeze them and ship them with dry ice to meet us at the hotel?” Bina, 29, said. “It worked for 10 days, and it was perfect. From then on, I thought I could make a business.”