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Chef Colin, a native of Hawaii, has been in
love with food and the art of cooking since
he was a small boy. He enrolled in the Culinary
Arts Program at the Art Institute of Los Angeles
in Santa Monica, California and has worked for
hotels and top restaurants in the US, including
an Outrigger Hotel in his home state.
He decided to do some traveling in order to
learn more about other cuisines of the world,
and spent some time in Mexico before arriving
in Thailand. He worked in Bangkok before moving
to Phuket two years ago to work for the Allseasons
Nai Harn Phuket, an Accor property, before joining
the Centara
Karon Resort early this year.
When did you start cooking ?
I started cooking at home when I was around
nine or ten years old. At first it was a chore
as I had to make breakfast for my parents but
after a while I realized that I enjoyed the
challenge of coming up with new ideas –
not all of them edible. I got my first job working
in a kitchen when I was 14 years old.
Is it hard to cook Thai food?
When I first started cooking Thai food I did
not find it that difficult. However, making
it taste authentic according to Thai traditional
taste took some practice as well as a few failed
attempts.
Who taught you to cook Thai food?
Most of what I know about Thai food I picked
up from my staff in various kitchens. It was
kind of a trade-off, I taught them about Western
food and techniques and they taught me about
Thai food, as well as Thai language. I think
that they rather enjoyed the lessons as well,
being able to teach the Chef a thing or two.
Other than that I have an extensive collection
of cook books about cuisines around the world,
including Thai, which were also of help in my
learning process. Anything else was learned
in the truest form of trial and error.
What is the best part of being a chef?
The best part is seeing people enjoy your creations.
I feel that every chef is an artist and there
is no better feeling than seeing someone really
appreciate what you have created. Also, I like
the fact that, as a chef, you’ll never
go hungry!
What is your favorite dish to eat?
Tough one. I think I will have to give two answers
to this question, there is just too much great
food out there. My first dish, I would have
to say, is Lau lau, which is a traditional Hawaiian
dish, consisting of butterfish and usually pork
which is wrapped in taro leaves and then cooked
in a traditional underground oven called an
imu. My other favorite dish is a Thai dish,
moo krop pad nam prik pao (crispy pork fried
with chili-garlic paste). There is just something
about the combination of flavors that makes
this dish truly irresistible.
What is your number one priority at work?
Enhancing the knowledge and capabilities of
my staff. By showing them ways in which we can
improve ourselves and create new combinations,
we can further the overall experience and satisfaction
of our guests.
If you weren’t a chef, what other career
would you follow?
I would be working as an actor and stunt man.
This is something that I love to do and have,
in fact, had a chance to do frequently. One
movie I worked on was Oliver Stone’s Alexander,
starring Colin Farrel. Another that I had the
honor of being a part of was the Thai box office
hit Tom Yum Goong.
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