Pachacútec Foundation: 20 years of the school that made the dream of being a chef accessible to everyone

“We started building the campus in October 2002 and in 2004 we started operations. Currently, we have three levels of study: basic education, productive technical education and the institute, which is also licensed, which ensures the level of reliability and that we are doing things well”, detail for Provecho, Alexis Pancorvo, academic director.

It is important to mention that all the services offered in the Foundation are subsidized, the student pays 20% or 30%. “100% of the students receive this grant. And how we do it? Through the foundation’s way of working, which is with the strategic partner, which basically provides us with four things: market knowledge to update and launch the study plans, teachers, job placement, and economic contribution,” says Pancorvo. .

The dream of being a chef

After the relationship of the Pachacútec Foundation with Gastón Acurio, the cooking career has been the most sought after. “Gastón is one of our great ambassadors and obviously helps us in many aspects, including with other careers, with contacts and benefits for the entire educational community,” says Pancorvo.

What happens with the cooking degree is something that surprises, the students come from the area of ​​Callao, Lima and even other parts of the country, which is why admission is a fairly rigorous process because there are many young people trying to fulfill a dream and What the Foundation fundamentally seeks is for students to complete their studies. So, the first step is a written exam, focused on reading comprehension, verbal and mathematical reasoning. Then, the first positions pass an interview and finally a vocational test.

Karina Montes is the Director of the Cooking Studies Program and the person who has seen the growth of the school, who is also a family to her. “The school was created due to this gastronomic boom that we were going through in Peru and that has been maintained over the years. Today there are many students full of illusions because they are boys who have gone through many stages in their lives and for them cooking has been their escape and now, their passion”, she explains.

Definitely, the students who come to the Foundation have a particular link with cooking, always empirical, but which has motivated them to want to study and seek help to fulfill a dream and follow their true vocation.

“They all come with a backpack loaded with many hopes, with great expectations, their reference is usually Gastón Acurio, for them he is a super important figure and they want to be like him. What’s more, in their own interviews they say they want to have a restaurant chain, so they are housed here like a family”, says Karina.

And that is Fundación Pachacútec, a family that teaches not only cooking, but also other tools because they are aware that it is not enough to have good seasoning and know how to cook to have an opportunity, but also to be empathetic, know how to work as a team, have assertive communication. .

“I have always said that it is not only a question of bringing out good professionals, but also good people, with ethics, with morals and basically that is what we try to work for here, we have always said that Fundación Pachacútec is a family and our main objective is to all the people who work here is to do it for the less favored, ”says Kelly.

The more than 20 years have already given results and Fundación students have become great exponents of Peruvian cuisine in the country and in the world. For example, one of the students is Alan Larrea, who today owns Percado, there is another large group of students in Dubai and Qatar, more than ten students in Brazil and more than five in Chile. Undoubtedly, internationalization has been inevitable and in countries like the United States, Spain, Luxembourg, Germany, Norway, Poland, Thailand and Paraguay you will always be able to find a Pachacútec student. In Peru, in addition, the students meet in restaurants belonging to the Acurio group, but also in Central with Virgilio Martínez.

Karina is committed to the cause and does not hesitate to show her excitement with her more than 700 graduates who have taken advantage of the opportunity and exploited their talent, innovating, owning their own businesses or working in world-renowned restaurants.

The Pachacútec Foundation has two annual incomes and does not hesitate to continue working so that Peruvian cuisine continues to grow worldwide.