There are professional decisions that are difficult to understand from the outside. Get a position in Ducati It is usually considered a goal within the reach of very few, especially for a recently graduated engineer. However, Guido Paternollo He felt very quickly that, no matter how prestigious that job was, it was not the path he really wanted to take.
His story began far from the kitchen. In fact, our protagonist was trained in Milan Polytechnicwhere he obtained 2 degrees, Mechanical Engineering and Mathematical Engineering, an unusual combination even within the technology sector. During those years he also developed another much more domestic hobby: cooking.
I had not studied at a hotel school nor did I yet dream of the Michelin stars. He was simply passionate about experimenting at home, reading specialized books and learning on his own.
Ducati taught him a lesson that would change his life
After completing his studies came the opportunity that many engineers would like. Paternollo worked in Ducati at different stages, participating in areas related to vehicle production and dynamics. He even dedicated his final year project to the design of the rear suspension of a version Scrambler. However, it was precisely during that experience when he understood something that would mark the rest of his career.
He observed that those who worked around him lived each project with absolute passion. He, on the other hand, enjoyed the environment and admired the company culture, but he did not feel the same connection with the profession. Years later he would recognize that this was the moment when he understood that, without true passion, it is very difficult to achieve excellence.
From the precision of engineering at Ducati to the creativity of haute cuisine
Making the decision was not easy. He gave himself just 6 months to find out if his love of cooking could become a real job. His resume, with no restaurant experience, was rejected by numerous Michelin-starred restaurants. Until the opportunity appeared that would change his life. The chef Enrico Bartolini He decided to give it a chance through an internship that soon turned into a stable position.
That was just the beginning. Then some of the most prestigious names in French gastronomy would arrive, such as Marc Veyrat, Yannick Alleno either Alain Ducassewhere he perfected a way of understanding cooking based on both creativity and rigor.
Although he left the world of 2 wheels, Paternollo He maintains that he never stopped thinking like an engineer. As he explains, haute cuisine is not just about inspiration or talent. For him, each dish requires a process of analysis, testing and improvements very similar to the development of an industrial product.
He does not believe in the chef as an improvising genius. He defends that behind a great chainring there is above all study, method and teamwork, a philosophy that is very reminiscent of the way in which a motorcycle is developed before reaching the market.
From Ducati’s dream to the Park Hyatt challenge
After several years working in France, he returned to Italy in 2020 to face probably the biggest challenge of his career. He agreed to run the restaurant’s kitchen Pellico 3located in the exclusive Park Hyatt from Milan, a few meters from the Duomo Square.
As we have told you, the trajectory of Guido Paternollo shows that even a seemingly perfect career may not be the right one if motivation is lacking. work in Ducati It allowed him to learn discipline, method and company culture, knowledge that he applies every day in his kitchen today. A story that does not talk about abandoning the world of motorcycles, but about finding the place where he could really develop his talent.
