Working at Ducati is a dream for many engineers, but for Guido Paternolo it became the starting point of a completely different career. After contributing to motorcycle engineering projects, including a university thesis focused on Scrambler rear suspension design, he realized that his greatest passion was not motorcycles, but cooking.
A graduate of Mechanical Engineering and Mathematical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan, Paternolo praised Ducati’s culture and working environment, but ultimately admitted that he did not have the same passion for engineering as his colleagues. That realization led him to leave the motorcycle industry to pursue a career in professional gastronomy.
Without any formal culinary education, he initially struggled to secure opportunities before landing a place under renowned Italian chef Enrico Bartolini. His career then took him to some of the most renowned kitchens in France, where he worked with Michelin-starred chefs including Marc Verrat, Yannick Alleino and Alain Ducasse.
Today, Guido Paternolo heads the culinary team at Restaurant Pellico 3 inside Milan’s prestigious Park Hyatt hotel. Although he no longer works in the motorcycle industry, he says engineering still shapes the way he creates every recipe, applying the same principles of analysis, testing and continuous improvement that define motorcycle development.
Why does his story come to light?
Paternolo’s journey shows that even a dream job may not be the right destination if true passion lies elsewhere. The discipline and engineering mindset he developed at Ducati remains central to his work, proving that technical thinking can extend well beyond the motorcycle world.
Images: Soymotero
