GlobalBX

Wolfgang Puck is a household name when it comes to food these days. Although little is known of his humble beginnings, he has certainly made a huge success of his love of food and resultant career. Wolfgang Puck is one of the better-known names in the food industry today, and with good reason. Owing to his childhood though, he is an inspiration for people from single parent families everywhere, demonstrating that the journey from nought to entrepreneur is possible.

Wolfgang Puck’s Upbringing

Wolfgang Puck was born on July 8, 1949 to Maria Topfschnig, an amazing woman that had previously dealt with the father of her son abandoning her before the birth. She balanced working and raising her son on her own for several years, bonding with him over their mutual love of cooking and food. From a young age, Wolfgang Puck was fascinated with the kitchen and the dishes his mother could produce. This continued after she married Josef Puck in 1956. Giving him a male role model, Josef adopted Puck and encouraged him to follow his dreams.

Although his mother had been the entrepreneur’s inspiration, Puck moved to France to follow his dreams of being a chef. He was apprentice to the great chef Raymond Thuilier in Provence before moving to work in the Hotel de Paris in Monaco for a time. However, Puck realised that his fortune lay elsewhere and moved to Indianapolis in the United States.

Entrepreneurial Ventures

After working in Indianapolis at La Tour for two years, Puck moved to Los Angeles to begin his journey as an entrepreneur. An opportunity arose for him to buy into Ma Maison in Los Angeles and so his fame grew. It was not long before he was approached to publish a book.

In 1981, the entrepreneur published Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen. The book served to get his name out and about amongst the American public and led to an idea to capitalize on his relative fame. He initially opened one restaurant, Spago on Sunset Strip, but that was followed by an amazing demand for tables night after night. It was also the reason why Puck launched Wolfgang Puck Companies. Within that business venture was three companies – Wolfgang Puck Worldwide Inc., Wolfgang Puck Catering and Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group.

The entrepreneur’s business soon took off with a little marketing and a lot of public appearances. Today, the group includes, catering services, 80 Wolfgang Puck Express outlets, 15 fine dining restaurants and various merchandise and endorsement deals. He also currently has a show on the Food Network.

Philanthropy

Wolfgang Puck has not taken his fame and fortune lightly. In fact, he has contributed generously to numerous charitable foundations and organisations. He has also founded on of his own to promote Meals on Wheels. This is a venture that takes food to the elderly and disabled so they are able to live independently and get nourishing food that contains everything they need to remain so. The Puck-Lazaroff Charitable Foundation has been going since 1982 and has been extremely successful.

Wolfgang Puck came from a poor background and yet has been extremely successful via his own inspiration and sheer ambition. He has taken every chance to capitalise on his relative fame and has ensured that his entrepreneurial ventures have benefited others. The demand for Puck’s cuisine is still tremendous and so his venture looks like it will prosper into the future. With that kind of inspiration for children of single parent families, Puck has another feather in his cap. After all, if Wolfgang Puck can do it via a lifelong ambition then so can anybody else with enough determination and grit.

Get FREE information on all the top Food Franchise Opportunities and Food Franchises for Sale at GlobalBX!