Life Lessons In The Kitchen

From getting schooled in cooking techniques to building character, three chefs share how kitchen lessons gleaned from their parents ignited their passion for food

- Kenneth SZ Goh

For many chefs, the humble home kitchen is the pivotal starting point of their culinary journeys. Over the stove, their parents were their first food critics and mentors, imparting heirloom family recipes with a sprinkling of heartfelt anecdotes. While some chefs forged fond food memories that anchored their careers, others hold bittersweet recollections of the rigorous training that has shaped their outlooks in life.

For master sushi chef Kenjiro “Hatch” Hashida, the chef-owner of Hashida Singapore, sushi making runs in his blood. The exquisite craft was passed down to him by his father, Tokio Hashida, who started the original Hashida Sushi in Tokyo in 1968. The 78-year-old has since handed over the reins to his son, who expanded the brand into Singapore in 2013.

As an apprentice at age 14, Hatch started out cleaning the counter every day. The 42-year-old recalls: “I was expected to complete this task even when I wasn’t feeling well. This instilled a sense of responsibility and discipline in me—staying committed to something I’ve promised.” After a year of cleaning and observing the kitchen action, he got the chefs to teach him knife skills in the regimental kitchen. Mimicking the elegant movements of the knife, he says: “Slicing the fish requires a certain type of rhythm—it’s as if the knife is dancing—and the knife shouldn’t touch the fish too many times, [as that] would affect its temperature.” It would take a couple more years of observation and practice before he was allowed to slice sushi for customers.