Caffe Machiavello, Palo Alto

When Maria Neal, a mother of four, found out she needed a kidney transplant, the prognosis was bleak. Told she had only a 14-percent chance of surviving until surgery, "I had accepted that I was going to die," Neal says. But she survived not only long enough to make it to the operating room, but also long enough to rebuild her legacy, opening Caffe Machiavello with her family just a couple months after surgery.

The menu at Caffe Machiavello is full of fresh food made from high-quality ingredients—nothing that Neal herself, who now has a limited diet, can't eat. The dough for pizzas, the bread for sandwiches, and the free cookies are all made in house. And while the flour is imported from Italy, the flavors are imported from around the globe, with the menu featuring Mexican, Peruvian, Italian, and American dishes.