BEYOND THE PLATE

Masashi Horiuchi, Tatler Dining's Chef of the Year, sheds light on what it takes to succeed in the industry

- Katelyn Tan

"Kitchen life has always felt natural to me,” Masashi Horiuchi smiles. The good-natured executive chef of Entier and Potager sits opposite me in Potager's impressive dining room, where I face the open kitchen.

"Many people think that being a chef lacks work-life balance, but since I started cooking, I've felt that the challenges along the way have been instrumental in shaping who I am today," he continues.

Horiuchi began cooking at the age of 16 but his exposure to the industry started earlier, as he used to follow his grandfather to the market to sell produce as a child. However, his first inclination to become a chef occurred while dining at a restaurant, which left a lasting impression. "We didn't come from a wealthy family, but my mother took [me and my four siblings] to a steak restaurant-one with proper tablecloths and a beautiful view," he reminisces. While he initially worried about how they were going to afford the meal, that dissolved into a desire to recreate such a memorable experience: "The feeling of being able to sit and dine together was like no other, and I wanted to be a part of it."