Marching To His Own Beat

A boundless sense of adventure, Annabel Tan learns, has led Akira Back on an unpredictable journey from a professional snowboarder to an acclaimed chef with an inventive food philosophy.

- Annabel Tan

It is near impossible to categorise chef Akira Back’s food; it’s not solely confined to just one cuisine, but rather, an amalgamation of the South Korean-American’s eclectic background. Born Baek Seung-Woo to South Korean parents in Seoul, he moved to Aspen, Colorado, at the age of 14 and has lived in the us ever since; he is now an American citizen. His formal training as a chef, however, was in classic Japanese cuisine.

“I always want to make food that represents me and my journey from when I was a kid to now,” explains Back, who has over 14 restaurants around the world and counting. “I want to mix all the flavours of my life together.” We are in his namesake restaurant at JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach, which the Las Vegas-based chef is here to check in on. He exudes a laid-back ease, but mid-interview, he suddenly sits up and points a stern finger at me. “Hey! You’ve eaten here before, right?”