Young Northbrook entrepreneur combines passion for music and chips

When Daniel Bachrach sets his mind to something, there’s no stopping him.

Consider this--when he and his friends were fed up with the local music scene, they created their own festival. When he wanted to expand his musical talents, he taught himself how to play another instrument. And when he saw a gap in the snack food marketplace, guess what he did? He started making and selling his own tortilla chips. If you invited him to stay at your house, you’d want to ask in advance what his favorite color is. Otherwise, he might repaint the guest room.

“I like doing my own thing. I don’t like having a boss,” said the 18-year old Bachrach. “My dad will tell you, I don’t like doing chores.”

“He’s a good leader and knows what he wants to do,” said friend and classmate Ian Halliburton. “He’d be a good boss, but I don’t know if I’d want to work for him.” 

In his best-selling book “Four-hour Work Week”, author Tim Ferriss says in order to be your own boss you must be comfortable with this belief structure: it’s better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission. Bachrach, a recent graduate, is already living by this philosophy. 

THE MUSIC

Last year Bachrach and “Don’t Worry About It” band mate Halliburton, founded “Skiddlefishe,” a summer music festival. It was created as a response to what Bachrach thought was missing in Northbrook: a local platform for bands to play and engage fans. He was frustrated by other concerts which were poorly organized and charged money for a lesser product. He and his band mates agreed that if they were going to take this on, one condition had to be met. 

“We thought we should have a free show," Bachrach said. "Music should be free." 

He put down his drum sticks and picked up the phone. He found sponsors to pay for the venue, the festival’s biggest expense. Three bands played, several hundred fans showed up at a tiny pavilion just on the edge of Anetsberger Golf Course. Reviews were good, buzz strong. The only problem? No lights. There was only one electrical socket, which was being used for sound. “The last two bands had to play in the dark,” said Bachrach.

Like any fledgling entrepreneur, Bachrach hadn’t planned for every detail. This year, they will have more of everything July 16 at the : space, music, bands (eight in all) and electrical outlets. And it’s still free.

Daniel Bachrach is smart enough to understand this concept: some things you can give away for free, some things you can’t. Music is a labor of love, a shared experience which bonds people and communities. It’s delivery is a method of public service, a way of giving back what has been given to him. Food? That’s an entirely different ballgame.

THE CHIPS

The summer before his junior year of high school, Bachrach needed a project for a class he was taking. His brother, Scott, had made some tortilla chips at home. They tasted pretty good, so he made a batch. He took them to school, and as soon as his classmates tried them, he knew he had a hit.

“I passed them out and this guy said ‘Can I have what you have left?’ Then other people in the class were like ‘I’ll buy them too’,” said Bachrach. “Then through word of mouth people started asking for them and I started selling.”

He calculated the cost of goods--tortillas, oil to fry them in and seasoning. Subtracting that from his $3 price point for a half pound bag, Bachrach was making $1.83 per bag. After a couple of sales, he was already where it takes most businesses years to be: profitability. He gives the money to his mother, Diane, who along with his business owner father, Ric, advised him wisely to put all profits back into the business. 

His customer base centers mostly around Glenbrook North, with students, parents and teachers all buying his chips.

“He’s a great kid, curious, fun and interesting,” said Glenbrook North world history teacher Jerome Hoynes, who had Bachrach in class in the 2010-2011 school year.

For Bachrach sharing samples laid the groundwork for sales. He now offers four varieties--original, spicy, taco and onion. On special occasions, he offered his limited edition dessert brand. Months later, Hoynes is still raving about Bachrach's Passover offering.

“He had a chocolate matzo one that was just delicious,” Hoynes said. 

SECRET RECIPE

Keeping with his wise-beyond-his-years disposition, Bachrach is mum when asked about his recipe. All he’ll reveal is how the seasoning gives his chips an edge over the big-box brands.

“Love. They are made with love,” said Bachrach.

Bachrach will be taking his talents to Bradley University this fall to study entrepreneurship. He said he hasn’t quite figured out how to scale his chip business. He doesn’t have a name or a Web site yet but he said he understands that’s where college will help him. 

For now his goal is to sell some chips, play some music and put on a good show. 

“People love entertainment. Bring them music they like. People like chips, so bring them the chips,” said Bachrach. “I do it for the people.”

To learn more about Skiddlefishe or his chips, email Daniel at drmmrby802@aol.com.

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