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"I then served my time like a man, didn't rat, didn't snitch, you know, took the medicine that went along with when you break the law," he said from the section of his restaurant that pays tribute to Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack. In prison, he grew to well over 400 pounds and learned more about cooking, including how to use a microwave to bake a pizza made from flour stolen from the kitchen. When he got out in 2008, Lutz did some online cooking shows before opening his first restaurant in Collingswood. But when it came time to move to bigger digs, there was a problem: "I couldn't get conventional bank loans because I'm a felon. I broke the law," he said, slapping his arm. "Shame on you forever, for life." He raised nearly $100,000 for renovations from investors and crowd-funding for his restaurant, which features home-style Italian classics. Lutz doesn't want to stop with his Collingswood restaurant. He has designs on opening franchises of his restaurant in other cities known for their gangsters, licensing products with his brand, starring in a reality TV show and starting a foundation to help other ex-prisoners become entrepreneurs. "Redemption," he said. "That's what I'm all about now."
[Associated
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