They say that he who does not risk does not win and he put it to the test when he decided to leave his country in search of his dreams
, with only 5 dollars in his pocket. What he did not imagine was that years later
life was going to surprise him
.
“It has been
an incredible experience and a dream come true
. With hard work, I managed to achieve my goals,” says Gerardo Cea in an interview with
Clarín
.
With the hope of living the American dream and achieving greater economic stability, the
57-year-old
Argentine - originally from the
Province of Buenos Aires
-
made the decision to emigrate to the United States with his parents in August 1985
. In this way, he immersed himself in an adventure that
would change his reality forever
.
From Buenos Aires to the Big Apple
The protagonist of this story was born in the Palermo neighborhood, in the
Autonomous City of Buenos Aires
. Since he was little, he looked for a way to help his parents financially, who
worked hard to raise their family
, in his words.
Young Gerardo worked in several businesses dedicated to the sale of consumer products, such as grocery stores and spice emporiums.
“I didn't study a university degree, but
I had the best education at home thanks to my parents
. Although we lived with what was just and necessary, when it came to eating, they went to great lengths and made excellent dishes. Thus,
dinner became a beautiful event
and our home became our own restaurant
,” the Argentine explains with emotion.
That teenager in the eighties was
captivated by the American film and music industry
, which he enjoyed on the big screen. For this reason,
at only 18 years old, he got to work to start an adventure in the land of opportunities
.
As a result of this, Gerardo proposed to his parents that they emigrate to
the United States
, with the aim of living an experience abroad, according to his words.
However, they did not have the money to pay for the plane tickets and
that desire seemed to fade more and more
, but
Gerardo dreamed big and life rewarded him
.
“We were lucky to have financial help from relatives of ours who were living in
New York
. Thus, we were able to cover the expenses and arrive in the Big Apple,
something that I had longed for for a long time
,” the entrepreneur joyfully expresses.
In this way,
in August 1985
, Gerardo arrived in the city of lights with his parents,
with only 5 dollars in his pocket
. From that moment on,
his life took a 180-degree turn
.
“The next day, my uncle got me a job as a waiter in a well-known restaurant.
I had no knowledge of the English language
, but I learned it over time,” Gerardo asserts.
The surprising thing is that that bar belonged to the
Gambinos, the famous crime family
that used to dominate organized crime in
New York, United States
. There, the young Argentine had the opportunity to meet those film stars and artists that he saw on television, such as
John Travolta, Yoko Ono
, among others.
In that job,
he worked 12 hours a day
. "It was very hard. In addition, some time later,
Paul Castellano, the mafia boss, was killed
. From that moment on, the restaurant began to decline and
we decided to leave the city
,” says the businessman.
Consequently,
in November 1987, they moved to the city of Miami
, in order to find a better job and
set up a restaurant with their parents
. Upon arriving, Gerardo was hired as a waiter in a business, but his parents did not have the same luck, according to him.
The emergence of “Cafe Prima Pasta”
In
1993
, after much effort and dedication, the young Argentine used his savings to
found a restaurant with his parents
. “
I was afraid to start
. I went from being an employee to the owner of an establishment,
it was a lot of responsibility
,” says Gerardo.
“
We set up the business with my parents
, they were in charge of cooking all the dishes and I was in charge of the place. The interesting thing is that
the day we opened "Cafe Prima Pasta", people lined up to get in, something incredible
,” adds the entrepreneur.
Since then,
the business has grown exponentially
. Currently,
they have 65 employees and have capacity for approximately 140 diners,
according to their words.
As time went by, the Cea family received clients
from all over the world
, many of them global icons, such as
the Argentine star: Lionel Messi
. For more than a decade,
the world champion has attended “Cafe Prima Pasta”
, a restaurant that fuses Argentine and Italian culture.
“
In July 2023
, when the whole world was aware of
Messi
's football future ,
his father contacted us to have dinner at the restaurant with him
, after having signed his contract with the club
“Inter Miami CF”
. It's crazy, the first place they chose to have dinner was ours,
we couldn't believe it
,” Gerardo proclaims.
The professional soccer player even
chose this establishment to celebrate his 35th birthday
. “
It was amazing to receive Leo and his family
from him, I always wanted them to feel cared for and well cared for,” adds the man.
After 30 years of experience in the gastronomic field, Gerardo and his family work hard to provide the best possible care. And they became
one of the most successful and recognized gastronomic businesses in
Miami, United States
.
“
We have fulfilled the American dream
,” Gerardo comments happily from his new home.