His personal chefs get no such bonuses. But they do get to order
$2,000 worth of truffles on a whim. "I do my grocery shopping by
Federal Express," Frank says. "We get the best from all over the
world. I get asparagus from
Germany,
Austria, Holland, and when the
season is over there, we get it from
Peru. You ever heard of a
strawberry soufflé?"
Um, no.
"It's very difficult to find," he says. "But I remembered that, in
Monte Carlo, I used to have wonderful strawberry soufflés. So, I
have this one chef who is from
France, and I had him call up the
place in Monte Carlo and get the recipe."
At least Frank didn't go over and buy the restaurant. He tends to
be prone to such whims. "I stayed in a beautiful house last year
[in Kona, Hawaii]," he recalls. "I liked it so much, I bought it."
It cost $13.5 million.
"You ever heard of a Glock?" Turns out that Frank has hired a
bodyguard avec Glock because, you see, "When you're a billionaire,
you've got to think about those kinds of things." Then again, Frank
doesn't sound too worried. Then again, why should he worry? Here's
a guy who made a billion in business by doing it his way. A focus
group didn't name Grey Goose, he did. A consultant didn't tell him
that someone besides Germans with bellyaches would drink
Jägermeister; he just knew it. And now, even as he spends every day
working and making more money than he ever imagined possible, Frank
is also doing something rare and enviable: He's reveling in his
fortune.
"Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd be a billionaire,"
says Frank, now relaxing in his apartment while Donnie scurries
around somewhere and the chefs start slicing and dicing for another
meal. "I always thought it would be nice to be a millionaire, but I
never expected more. Now I'm a billionaire, which I enjoy very
much. I'm living the American dream, and I think it's wonderful."