Peruvian Chef Turns Slum Into Culinary School

Here's a feel good story for a Monday. In Peru, internationally renowned chef Gaston Acurio founded a culinary institute on the edge of one of the country's slums to provide residents with practical vocational skills and the possibility of social mobility. 

Acurio founded the Pachacutec Institute four years ago in the slum of Ventanilla, an area that houses more than 100,000 families but still doesn't have running water. Disadvantaged Peruvians from all walks of life pay $35 a month to attend a two-year culinary program. More than 500 people apply annually for just 50 spots. 

"The real power of the kitchen has not yet been used. The power to feed, to welcome, yes. But the power to transform (the country) socially has not yet been released," Acurio said."We live the paradox of a country with wonderful food, but where hunger persists. How can we justify this as chefs?"

Instructors hope to preserve the rich Peruvian culture and train the next generation of chefs. They aren't looking to train the next TV star though. "The goal is to find a youngster who was raised in a household with absent parents, who had to cook to feed his siblings," headmaster Rocio Heredia said. 

What do you think of this idea?