Through July 4, The Post, in partnership with the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, is spotlighting US citizens as they share what the American dream means to them in 2026. One featured voice is Wolfgang Puck, the celebrated chef and restaurateur behind landmark restaurants including Spago in Beverly Hills, and the longtime culinary force behind the Academy Awards’ official afterparty.
I truly feel that I have lived the American Dream. I was raised in Austria in very poor circumstances, in a home without running water and with toilets located far out in the backyard. Meat was something we might have once a week, perhaps for Sunday lunch. Now, in America, I own 30 restaurants, operate 80 airport locations and employ about 5,000 people.
I still believe America is a place where opportunity is real. When people arrive with a fresh idea or a different approach, there is a willingness here to give it a chance. That is not always the case in Europe, especially in my industry, where tradition can lead people to say, “You cannot do this,” or “No one will like that.” In America, people tend to be far more open. When I opened Spago and put smoked salmon on a pizza, for instance, if I had done that in Milan or Naples, they might have crucified me.
That openness, to me, is one of America’s greatest strengths. This country welcomes new thinking and embraces people who question old habits, challenge the status quo and try to reshape established industries in a way that is harder to find almost anywhere else.
I also believe that when so many different people and cultures come together, it creates an entrepreneurial energy unlike anywhere else. I have seen that clearly in my own world, the restaurant business. Just 30 or 40 years ago, dining in America could be uninspired, and cooking was not even viewed as a particularly respected profession.
Today, chefs are treated like artists, celebrities and even rock stars, helped by television and the broader food culture. There are now so many gifted young chefs in this country, and they have helped lift American cuisine to a place of global influence and respect.
The American Dream Video Project highlights personal stories that reveal different paths to opportunity. Presented at the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (MCAAD), the series is part of the Center’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. MCAAD, Washington, DC’s newest cultural institution, features interactive exhibits and stories focused on the pursuit of the American Dream. For more information, visit mcaad.org.
