A funny thing happened to 16-year-old Ian Purkayastha when he ate black truffle ravioli with foie gras sauce. The taste was so amazing he just had to have more. But truffles cost a bundle – typically $150 a pound, and up to $2,000 a pound for the rare ones – so Purkayastha’s options were limited. Until he talked his way into a job with an Italian truffle distributor, that is. Today, at age 18, Purkayastha has seen his distributorship “mushroom” into a booming enterprise; he’s one of the largest distributors on the east coast.
Two pounds of Ian Purkayastha's black truffles can fetch as much as $4,000 from eager buyers. (Photo by PAOLA MESSANA, AFP)
