“I want to go abroad!” was what Masa Kurihara always told himself. Masa’s culinary journey began when he took a part-time job as a cook when he was a student, because that was a job that came with free meals. When a friend’s referral allowed him to obtain a position at the Imperial Hotel, Masa was still trying to figure out a way to get overseas somehow. Even though he was a newcomer and among the lowest ranked workers, Masa was bold enough to keep reminding his boss at that time, the Executive Chef (Mr. Nobuo Murakami) at the Imperial Hotel, that what he really wanted was “to go abroad.”

After spending around two years as a trainee at the Imperial Hotel, the time came when his insistence on maintaining his desire to travel finally paid off. The newly appointed ambassador (Mr. Yasukawa) to the United States was about to assume his position, and was looking for some kitchen staff who could accompany him to Washington D.C. Masa made sure he seized this opportunity, even if it was again in an assistant position. Masa worked at the Japanese Embassy for two years. At the Embassy, he took an active part in creating numerous receptions and parties, including a banquet for the Japanese Emperor. It was during this time that Masa learned the key basics of Japanese food from senior chefs who had been trained at famous Japanese restaurants such as Kiccho (which serves traditional Kyoto cuisine).

Masa moved on to work at an exclusive catering company in service to the US State Department. While Masa worked for this catering firm, he had the chance to work with chefs from all over the world. This enabled Masa to assimilate many foreign food cultures and to broaden his culinary horizons dramatically.

After that Masa moved all the way from the east coast to Los Angeles to fulfill his new wish to relocate to the west coast. “I was not particularly worried,” says Masa, looking back on his fresh start in LA, where he didn’t know anybody. Masa easily got a job as a catering chef because of his high-level skills, but it was clearly a step down from his glorious career cooking for diplomats which he had enjoyed up to that point. Yet Masa felt no undue attachment to his past success. His audaciousness and decisiveness are truly amazing and admirable.

For the following 20 years Masa, as the executive chef, built up the reputation of the famous “Yamashiro” in LA — a hilltop Japanese restaurant in Hollywood with stunning views and regular celebrity sightings. Then one day Masa saw a wanted ad in the newspaper for the Corporate Chef position with KABUKI. Masa applied for the position, and has since successfully demonstrated what a perfect fit his skills are for his current position.

KABUKI now has nine locations, which keeps Masa very busy. His job entails a wide range of responsibilities: Setting up the menu, training the kitchen managers, as well as preparing and consulting on every facet of each new and existing establishment. “Freshness” is a key concept in Masa’s cooking. In order to respond to new requests from customers and to offer fresh dishes at all times, Masa devotes himself to continually refining the menu and to training kitchen staff. “I never thought my own training period was harsh,” says Masa. “Whatever happens is going to happen, right?

I just try to keep learning at all times even when I’m resting. When the time is ripe, all that education will come in handy and enable me to make a big leap forward.” Masa has been continually positive and decisive. “I’m just riding the wave,” is how he explains his success. He may well have been fortunate, but his patience and hard work have been the essential factors in his capitalizing on each opportunity as it arose.

Interviewing chef Kurihara and seeing his upbeat attitude was very inspirational to me. Let’s hope for his continued success.