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What advice would you give to fellow Caterhamians hoping to become a chef?
I truly do not think anyone going to Caterham School would ever want to become a chef...haha! I had always thought I would take a path in business, so after Caterham I went to University of Bath to study accounting – but I never liked it and I dropped out after three years. That’s why I moved to Paris to finish my degree in BS Business Admin at the American University of Paris, taking another two years. However, it was during this time in Paris, aged 21, that I started cooking for my parents and discovering my passion for cooking. I took a long way around to discover my dream career. At the time I felt horrible, I thought I had wasted so much time – but when I look back, I probably wouldn’t have become a chef if I had graduated in accounting from Bath and not had the opportunity to cook in Paris. I have since worked as a chef in both France and Japan. My advice would be – that you never know what might happen, but whatever happens, you must never give up finding something that you truly love doing, as everything else you need will eventually follow. Yasu’s culinary career: 2011 – Chef Shinichi Sato at Passage 53, Paris July 2012 – Mauro Colagreco and Chiho Kanzaki at Mirazur, South of France December 2012 – Chef Yusuke Takada at La Cime, Osaka October 2015 – La Cime awarded 2nd Michelin star 2016 – Finalist in RED U-35, biggest cooking competition in Japan & featured on the Forbes under 30 Asia 2016 May 2018 – Winner of San Pellegrino Young Chef final in Milan
Top: Young Chef final 2018 Left: Yasu with his competition mentor Luca Fantin (top) and judging taking place (bottom) This page: Finland Food Camp