Chuck Bressi, left, and Jeff DiGregorio prepare a gourmet breakfast in the modern kitchen at the Royal Elizabeth Bed & Breakfast Inn, which they moved across the country to buy and run.

Photos by Chris Richards / arizona daily star

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Each morning since they bought the Royal Elizabeth Bed and Breakfast Inn in November 2004, Jeff DiGregorio and Chuck Bressi rise with the sun and begin making a two-course gourmet breakfast.

By the time their guests drift in around 8 a.m. on a recent Friday, the inn's owners are wide awake and full of energy, despite still wearing their "work uniform" — T-shirts, flannel pajama pants and slippers.

DiGregorio, 37, invites everyone to sit at the elaborately set table and keeps them laughing as he serves the first course: a Moroccan treat of marinated oranges with toasted piñons and edible orchids.

While the guests dig in, Bressi, 41, puts the finishing touches on the main course: green chile estrada baked in a flour tortilla bowl with a side of habanero-stuffed turkey sausage and mango slices.

There is no laughter when the plates are presented — only oohs and aahs and murmured comments ("This is so great") and questions ("Did you go to school for this?").

The gracious hosts are so comfortable and competent in their current role — explaining the intricate dishes, giving advice about what to do in Tucson, providing batteries for one guest's camera and receiving a thankful hug in return — that it's hard to imagine them as anything else. But DiGregorio and Bressi became innkeepers only after they did what so many people only dream of doing — they quit their stressful jobs, sold their homes and moved across the country to follow a dream.

A shared dream is discovered

In 2004, DiGregorio was an urban planner doing lobbying and development for architectural and engineering firms, and Bressi was a certified public accountant at a company that made financial management software for law firms. They both owned homes in suburbs of Washington, D.C. They looked like the picture of success, but they were working long hours and spending up to three days a week on airplanes crisscrossing the country for meetings.

After one particularly rough day in March 2004, they did what any overworked couple does — they talked about what they'd rather be doing. They discovered that they both dreamed of owning and running a B&B, but figured it was something they'd pursue after retiring.

"I'm an urban planner and he's a CPA, so we're not spontaneous people," DiGregorio laughed. "We've very regimented people."

But once they stumbled upon the vision, they couldn't stop thinking about it. On a five-hour plane flight, the couple put together a 12-page business plan that described the ideal property and community for the B&B and laid out their finances and projected costs. When they looked at the spreadsheets and notes, they had an unexpected discovery.

"The big question was, why do we have to wait to do this?" DiGregorio said, the excitement still fresh in his voice. "Putting it to paper made us see, gosh, this is possible."

After a worldwide online search for properties and a false start in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., which they backed out of because of hurricanes, Bressi stumbled upon the listing for the Royal Elizabeth Bed and Breakfast Inn. Known as the Blenman House, the 1878 San Francisco Victorian-style adobe mansion in Downtown Tucson had been restored and converted into a B&B a few years earlier.

It looked perfect, and, to top it off, DiGregorio grew up in Tucson, which would be a boon to guests looking for vacation advice. While he hadn't planned to return to his hometown, one look at the property online and DiGregorio was sold.

DiGregorio and Bressi found the real estate listing on a Thursday in late September, immediately inquired and were told that three bids were coming in on the following Monday. From what they could see online, they knew this was the B&B for them, so, with the clock ticking, they took the plunge.

They put in a bid for the full $990,000 asking price, sight- unseen.

It was accepted.

They were ecstatic, but most of their acquaintances met their big announcement with hesitation and disbelief.

"The biggest obstacle was the societal norms and pressure from our friends and family," DiGregorio said. "People in their 30s don't do this. You work up the corporate ladder for years and years, and then you're done."

Despite the fact that job satisfaction is low — only 14 percent of Americans say they are "very satisfied" with their jobs, according to a 2005 report by the Conference Board, a nonprofit business membership and research organization — there is only a small correlation between job dissatisfaction and quitting, said Y. Barry Chung, president of the National Career Development Association.

But DiGregorio insists that although what they were doing was unusual, it really wasn't a risk.

"We always had in the back of our minds that if we do this and it fails, it's not the end of the world," he said. "We can get new jobs."

At the time, Bressi happened to catch a news program about how important real-world business experience is to employers — even if the business fails.

"That gave me some solace," he admitted.

And while everything they could quantify had been charted on spreadsheets, the one thing they couldn't calculate was their new relationship.

"We'd only been together a year when we announced we were quitting our jobs, moving across the country and starting a business," Bressi said.

A mere seven months after they first talked about owning a B&B, they closed the deal and saw the Royal Elizabeth for the first time.

"We came to look at the place, and we went, whew!" DiGregorio said. "This place was more amazing than we had imagined."

They moved in and took over the business Nov. 12, 2004, and immediately made it their own. The previous owner's collection of antique furniture and furnishings was included, but the couple did some beautification to make it more luxurious and filled the house with technology to make it more attractive to business travelers.

"We practically lived in hotels," DiGregorio said of their former lives. "We made this into the place we wish we could have stayed."

Except for using a linen service to wash and iron sheets, they run the B&B on their own. Bressi began taking care of the books and the pool, while DiGregorio handled sales, marketing and gardening. Both contribute to the gourmet meals they make for guests every morning, scouring magazines and food shows for inspiration.

"If you can find it at IHOP, you won't have it here," DiGregorio said.

Breakfast is different every day, and the always-organized Bressi keeps a spreadsheet of what meals people have had, so when they come back, they get something different. Bressi and DiGregorio often receive high praise for their cooking and hugs for their hospitality.

"This job is so affirming," Bressi said with a smile. "Every day people say something nice to us."

They've had 4,000 guests since they took over what they affectionately refer to as The Liz. Last year, only their second year in the business, the couple made a profit.

"I feel so much more security doing this than I ever had before," Bressi said.

Running a B&B is no easy job — there are endless toilets to clean, towels to wash and beds to make — but, they point out, they don't do anything at The Liz that they didn't do at home. Plus, they find it more satisfying than anything they've done before, and the stress that plagued them in D.C. is gone.

"We work seven days a week usually and we have to steal our days off, but it doesn't feel like work," Bressi said.

Still, the day-to-day grind can be taxing. They discovered early on that they had to block out time for themselves in advance or they'd never have a break. To avoid burnout, they've planned 75 days in 2007 when they'll either take vacations or just enjoy time at home without guests.

They've learned other important lessons over the past two years. At first, they found themselves tethered to the house as they waited all day for a guest to arrive. Now they make sure to make a "check-in appointment," so guests tend to call if they are going to be arriving late or early, and Bressi and DiGregorio have a little more freedom during the day. Still, they have trouble planning ahead for outings, and they're often late for social engagements.

"The most challenging thing is that it's hard to be a good friend in this business," DiGregorio said. "We don't have any predictability in our day. It's really hard to schedule our time. Our day depends on our guests."

But the one unknown they faced when starting the business — their new relationship — has become their biggest strength. They now finish each other's sentences with the ease of two people enjoying a long companionship.

"As a couple, it was the best thing we could have done to nurture our relationship," DiGregorio said.

Guests often ask how DiGregorio and Bressi came to own The Liz, and the two innkeepers love to tell their story, which is delivered with the passion of a motivational speech.

"Society said what we did was a huge risk, but we're actually more in control," DiGregorio said. "I think the chance of success is greater than most people believe it is. You are going to pour your zeal into it in a way you never imagined.

"We weren't crazy wealthy people," he added. "I really think anyone can do it."

Their story often turns into a career-counseling session for guests, several of whom have even moved to Tucson after a stay at The Liz and a dose of inspiration.

"You can see from people like Chuck and Jeff that you don't have to be stuck in a niche," said frequent guest Monica Surfaro Spigelman.

She and her family had vacationed in Tucson for years, but when she and her husband were considering leaving New York City, the time they spent at The Liz sealed the deal.

"Chuck and Jeff were good guides for us for a couple of years," she said. "They helped us discover the vitality of Downtown Tucson, and that was one of the clinchers."

Surfaro Spigelman, who had a corporate career and was an officer for a national nonprofit organization before her move about a year ago, now works at a local nonprofit.

"We're very flattered because a lot of people have written us afterward and told us that they've made major life changes, that we inspired them." DiGregorio said. "We love hearing that."

The biggest lesson the couple learned during their big turning point: You can't let yourself get too comfortable.

"You're making a salary, you have a house, you get comfortable," DiGregorio said. "It takes shaking things up in life to get what you really want."

They've taken their motto to heart. They're already thinking about what they want to do down the road — and taking action.

After only a year in Tucson, they took another plunge.

"A year ago we bought the house we're going to retire to," DiGregorio said of the 1906 brick bungalow in Tucson's Iron Horse District, a house they plan to rent out until they retire. "The thought of buying another house sounds crazy, but you look at taking risks a little differently after the first one."

• What: Tour six locally owned and operated B&B's in Tucson's Downtown and University neighborhoods. Price of admission includes transportation, food, a gift bag and door prizes.

• Participating inns: Royal Elizabeth Bed & Breakfast Inn Adobe Rose Inn Big Blue House Catalina Park Inn Peppertrees Inn Sam Hughes Inn

• When: Noon Saturday. The tour starts and finishes at Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd., on the University of Arizona campus.

• Tickets: $35; $30 for UApresents subscribers at www. uapresents.org or 621-3341.

• Read more: Today, in At Home.