Trading in His Robes for an Apron

It's a symbol in Milan, one of the places that travel guides for the Lombardy capital specify as among the must-see locations for people coming to visit the Duomo and Castello Sforzesco. It's Peck, a 130-year-old shrine to haute cuisine, which has had Leone Marzotto at its command for around one year. Marzotto is 30 years old, a Bocconi Law graduate and lawyer, and he recently bought out the majority share of the historic shop on Via Spadari with his father Pietro. It was a real opportunity for someone who has always been passionate about food: "I started my legal traineeship at a Milanese firm," he explains, wearing a white apron that Peck clerks wear, a constant at delicatessens. "And I have to say that I enjoyed my traineeship, but even though it was very intellectually stimulating, it was a job that was detached from real life. I wanted to be a businessman and the opportunity to work with my father, who had and still has a lot to teach me, in a place that's considered the Mecca of food, was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

Choosing Bocconi, following his family's advice, "was a good one, because it's a university that has excellent professional training, it helps you graduate quickly and has many contacts with the life that awaits you afterwards. It also helped me create a clear mentality that makes it easy for me to make major on-the-job decisions quickly." Leone Marzotto is a young man and, like many young people, full of ideas and enthusiasm, with lots of initiatives tucked away ready to be launched. But he has to learn to hold himself back. "Because it's so tied to tradition and has an intrinsic strength, the Peck brand should be protected, it shouldn't be devalued with risky initiatives. I work in foreign development, with the idea of opening shops through licensees in countries that are undergoing a period of fast development, such as China, Russia and Brazil. The previous owner concentrated mostly on the shop, while foreign development was only pursued occasionally, especially in Japan where we're well-known. To do this, the most suitable marketing strategy needs to be worked out." In the meantime, in addition to planning meetings, Leone is active in everything about the shop. "I like working with my hands in the dough, and see the various stages of food production up close. In particular, meats and cooking in general is interesting, rather than pastry-making, which doesn't appeal to me as much."

Leone Marzotto studied to become a lawyer and now works as a businessman, two different worlds, almost opposites. But is that really true? "Entrepreneurs need to know how to take risks, but after carefully analyzing the risks and opportunities. Lawyers, on the other hand, aim to protect themselves from any kind of risk. This mental clarity that I mentioned before is very useful, and I use it to try to make predictions."

There are, however, new initiatives, including important ones, regarding the historical location close to the Duomo. "For the time being, I'd rather not reveal anything, but everything that's done will be steeped in tradition and will comply with Peck's style. We owe it to ourselves but also to those who built this brand's reputation around the world."