Aaron Noveshen, founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Starbird, trained as a French chef and started a company called The Culinary Edge that develops menus for restaurants. After years of helping other operators get successful concepts up and running, he felt it was time to start his own. In 2016, Starbird was hatched.

The fast-casual chicken chain now numbers 12 brick-and-mortar units and a couple of virtual kitchens, but Noveshen plans to open five more company locations this year, and franchising is about to take off. The menu is simple: tenders, sandwiches, salads and wings all made with a proprietary recipe for crispy fried chicken, developed by The Culinary Edge.

Listen as Noveshen shares his culinary secrets, describes plans for growth and hints at a few surprises ahead.