A Chef’s Dream

Abstract

A Peruvian boy is enthusiastically discussing his future with his father and telling him what he wants to be when he grows up. The radio is playing an old song from the 1980s by an Argentinean singer, Miguel Mateos: “What would you like to be when you grow up?” The father smiles at the coincidence while the song continues: Son, son what are you going to be when you grow up? “Son, son, what are you going to be when you grow up, a Rock n Roll star, president of the country… I am my mother and father’s dream, I can’t let them down…” The child tells his father about his conversation with his school friends and decides to share his dream: “Dad I want to be a chef and conquer the world with flavors that I am going to discover!” The father laughs proudly and says that he will send his son to Le Cordon Bleu, a famous French cooking school that has a branch in Lima.

The magic of gastronomy is in its capacity to transform people’s lives

Gastón Acurio Jaramillo

Acknowledgments: the authors would like to acknowledge Gareth Rees for his assistance in producing the English language version of this case study.

This case study is written solely for educational purposes and is not intended to represent successful or unsuccessful managerial decisionmaking.