Acknowledgments

Restaurants were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Getting by in the midst of this adversity, growing, and even continuing to create were acts of resilience that helped keep the business, the dining experience, and the staff united.

He never gave up. He simply reinvented himself and kept on creating. Jaime Pesaque is one of those people who are convinced that hard work and discipline are the backbones of their success. And succeed is exactly what he did in the middle of the pandemic. Jaime Pesaque, creator of the restaurants Mayta and 500 Grados, confronted the COVID-19 pandemic with hard work and discipline. It was a harsh test. “Financially and emotionally difficult,” he says today, after the culinary world has returned to normal. Determined not to lose his staff, he pivoted to a successful delivery system while at the same time creating Mad Burguer, the first pandemic-born brand to appear in Lima. This experience turned out to be so positive they opened a physical location. Now, they are close to opening their third. Sapiens was born in late 2021, offering a sophisticated new culinary experience in the heart of San Isidro.

“We kept moving forward even though things got complicated. We remained focused on our employees; they’re the ones who gave us strength,” he recalls, with his conviction that teamwork is key, and the team must be united and strong, like a backbone. And that is how they not only weathered the storm but shined while doing it.

For Pesaque, cooking is “a way of life” and he is fully dedicated to it. “It’s what I know how to do. It excites me, motivates me, keeps me on my feet. It’s a way of expressing myself. My career is also great therapy.”

His dream as a professional is to “contribute to our country, help out talented locals, and provide coaching for Peruvian products,” all formidable challenges.