Meet Mr Shunsuke Kusubashi, SOH’s Lecturer from Diploma in Restaurant & Culinary Operations. He is also often featured in many food-related magazines, and one example would be J-Plus, a Japanese Community Magazine.

For those who do not know him, Mr Shunsuke Kusubashi, is our Associate Lecturer from Diploma in Restaurant & Culinary Operations (DRCO). Coming from Japan, along with his various overseas experiences and exposure, he shares his extraordinary culinary knowledge with his students and always strives to make his lessons engaging and interesting.

What drives your passion for teaching?

With respect to teaching, my role model would be my Grandfather. He was a teacher in the army school during the war. When the war ended, he continued pursuing his passion for teaching and became a high school principal. When I was young, he would share his life’s philosophy with me – ‘Life is not for itself. The important thing in your life is to take something from the past generation, add your value into it, and then pass it on to the next generation’.

A teacher would be in the best position to influence the younger generation’s mind. A teacher can make or break the future generation, depending on what and how you teach them. I think that’s one of the most fantastic things about being a teacher.

What is your life’s philosophy? A quote you wish to share with all the students?

Life is shorter than you think. Don’t hold back and enjoy life to its fullest. There may be many things you want to do but you have not done it yet. Go and explore your interests and hobbies, try all the things you want to try. As Nike slogan says, just do it!

What made you enjoy cooking?

Food makes people happy! Food gives people a reason to, and makes them gather.

I practically grew up in a kitchen. My parents own a traditional Japanese inn-style hotel, also known as “Ryokan”, and I would help them in the kitchen. As a child, I hated cooking because of the hectic environment and I never had my dinner until it was 10pm. My family had to always put the customers’ needs before mine.  But as I got older, cooking came to me easily. After all, it was in my blood. So I thought to myself, “maybe this is the way I should go".

A glimpse into a few of Mr Shunsuke’s many creations– (From top to bottom, left to right) Roasted Château Haut-Brion (Filet Mignon) with seasonal vegetables, Baked Rainbow Trout with Asparagus, Spicy Tuna Tartar with wasabi whipped cream, and Tarte Tatin.

Mr Shunsuke conducting a class of Culinary Science and Kitchen Operations (H218), where he organised a mini session of cheese tasting!

Mr Shunsuke is also often featured in many food-related magazines, and one example would be Panora Asia, a Japanese Community Magazine.

What are the easy and tasty dishes that you would recommend to students to cook?

Pasta and steak! For pasta, do not overcook the pasta! Boil the noodles 2 minutes lesser than the stated time in the packaging and that would be sufficient. This is due to a factor known as “Carry-over Cooking". For cooking steak, season your steak well, with salt and pepper. Don’t be shy with your seasoning! And most importantly, do not touch the steak too much. Just leave it on the pan while searing one side, and flip only once.

What are some interesting hobbies you do during your free time?

Cooking definitely! I love whipping up dishes and desserts, and enjoying them at the comfort of my own home. Apart from that, I also play the violin.

Another interesting hobby I enjoy is Scuba Diving. I love the feeling of being in the ocean alongside other beautiful and interesting marine animals.

What do you love most about Singapore?

Culture! Apart from the Hawker Food Culture in Singapore which I love (there is a lot of nice street food!), I also love how you can always see people of different generation gathered at Hawker Centre in Singapore. You see old folks having kopi-chat there, while families with young kids can also be seen having their meals there at the same time. This is unlike in Japan or even European countries, where the older they get, they tend to become more isolated. The general public here, gets to mingle with people of different generation, and I think that is good.”