Sometimes the most powerful response to rejection isn’t giving up.
It’s building your own table.
In Buenos Aires, four friends — Mateo Kawaguchi, Leandro Lopez Padros, Franco Noseda, and Mauricio Roldan — kept hearing the same answer when they applied for jobs:
“No.”
All four men live with Down syndrome, and despite their determination, employers repeatedly turned them away.
So instead of waiting for an opportunity… they created one.
In 2016, they launched Los Perejiles, a pizza and Italian catering business serving parties and events around the city.
With support from family and their community, the small idea quickly grew. Within months they were booking dozens of catering events — and eventually expanded to employ more than 20 people, many of whom also have Down syndrome.
But for the founders, the mission was never just about pizza.
They wanted to prove something the world often underestimates:
That people with Down syndrome can work professionally, run businesses, and build something meaningful when given the chance.
Today, Los Perejiles has become a symbol of inclusive entrepreneurship in Argentina — and a reminder that sometimes success begins the moment you stop waiting for permission.
It’s building your own table.
In Buenos Aires, four friends — Mateo Kawaguchi, Leandro Lopez Padros, Franco Noseda, and Mauricio Roldan — kept hearing the same answer when they applied for jobs:
“No.”
All four men live with Down syndrome, and despite their determination, employers repeatedly turned them away.
So instead of waiting for an opportunity… they created one.
In 2016, they launched Los Perejiles, a pizza and Italian catering business serving parties and events around the city.
With support from family and their community, the small idea quickly grew. Within months they were booking dozens of catering events — and eventually expanded to employ more than 20 people, many of whom also have Down syndrome.
But for the founders, the mission was never just about pizza.
They wanted to prove something the world often underestimates:
That people with Down syndrome can work professionally, run businesses, and build something meaningful when given the chance.
Today, Los Perejiles has become a symbol of inclusive entrepreneurship in Argentina — and a reminder that sometimes success begins the moment you stop waiting for permission.
Sometimes the most powerful response to rejection isn’t giving up.
It’s building your own table.
In Buenos Aires, four friends — Mateo Kawaguchi, Leandro Lopez Padros, Franco Noseda, and Mauricio Roldan — kept hearing the same answer when they applied for jobs:
“No.”
All four men live with Down syndrome, and despite their determination, employers repeatedly turned them away.
So instead of waiting for an opportunity… they created one.
In 2016, they launched Los Perejiles, a pizza and Italian catering business serving parties and events around the city.
With support from family and their community, the small idea quickly grew. Within months they were booking dozens of catering events — and eventually expanded to employ more than 20 people, many of whom also have Down syndrome.
But for the founders, the mission was never just about pizza.
They wanted to prove something the world often underestimates:
That people with Down syndrome can work professionally, run businesses, and build something meaningful when given the chance.
Today, Los Perejiles has become a symbol of inclusive entrepreneurship in Argentina — and a reminder that sometimes success begins the moment you stop waiting for permission.
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