Joaquin Pelaez

Joaquin Pelaez was born on November 13, 1954, in Puebla, México, to Joaquin Pelaez Roldan and Anita Flores de Pelaez. He peacefully departed this life on September 17, 2018, after a courageous, seven-year battle with cancer. At a very early age, it was apparent that Joaquin was motivated by education and destined for leadership. He graduated with honors in 1971 from Ignacio Zaragoza Military Academy in Puebla, before obtaining his college degree in Biochemical Engineering at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. In 1976, Joaquin left Mexico and moved to Boston, where he completed his Master of Science in Food Science and Technology at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). He began his professional career in 1979 at McCormick Spice Co. before moving on to General Mills and Kraft Foods. In 1992, Joaquin joined Taco Bell as Senior V.P. of Food Innovation and Technology and, in 1997, was appointed Senior V.P. of Product Excellence for Yum! Restaurants International.

In a significant move both personally and professionally, Joaquin and his family relocated to Shanghai, China, in 2005 where he became Chief Support Officer for Yum! Brands. In this position, Joaquin managed the entire food supply chain from product idea to store delivery, including quality assurance, food safety management, supply chain, logistics, transportation and manufacturing. In order to perform his job in China more efficiently, Joaquin took it upon himself to learn Mandarin and diligently studied the language for hours daily. In 2013 an unfortunate illness led to Joaquin’s decision to retire from full-time work and return with his family to Dallas. Even in retirement, a wide range of major corporations and governments around the globe sought out Joaquin’s advice and experience as a world expert on food safety and food science.

Joaquin was an avid sports fan and loved football, soccer, baseball (especially his Boston Red Sox), tennis, running, cycling, ballroom dancing and swimming. He served as a swimming official during meets for his son’s Mustang Swim Team and could faithfully be seen in the stands for daily practices. In spite of his illness, Joaquin’s quest for education never waned. He used his background in food science to become a gourmet cook, earning his chef certification from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. He was also determined to play the guitar and diligently practiced daily. His latest passion was photography, a hobby in which he captured many precious moments of his family, friends and his beloved dog, Kenobi, and cat, Winston. Most importantly, Joaquin served as a loving husband and an exemplary figure for his family.

Joaquin was preceded in death by his father and a younger brother, Chico. He is survived by his wife Sang-Hee Pelaez, oldest son Joaquin Pelaez Jr., daughter Cristina Altman-Kurosaki, youngest son Leonardo Pelaez, granddaughter Amelia Pelaez, daughter-in-law Alexandra Pelaez, and son-in-law Jonas Altman-Kurosaki. He is also survived by his mother Anita Flores, sisters Tere Pelaez and Malu Pelaez; brother Roman Pelaez, brother-in-law Glenn Johnson Jr., nephew Roman Pelaez Jr., niece Rebeca Pelaez, numerous cousins, and a host of other relatives and lifetime of dear friends.

A funeral mass celebrating Joaquin’s life will be held at 10 am on Friday, October 5, 2018, at St. Rita Catholic Church, 12521 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX 75244, with a reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of Joaquin Pelaez may be directed to UT Southwestern Medical Center, P.O. Box 910888, Dallas, TX 75391-0888, or online at donate.utsouthwestern.edu in support of work by Dr. David Gerber in Hematology Oncology.