Jetsetting with... Chef Akira Back

SINGAPORE — Everything he did in his younger days, celebrity chef Akira Back did to be cool. And with Back opening plenty of restaurants across the globe this year, including one at the JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach, we would say he has definitely surpassed his target — even if he himself says he is not there yet.

“I actually never thought I would be a chef,” said the man behind Yellowtail restaurant at Las Vegas’ The Bellagio Hotel. “My dream was to become a baseball player. And then our family moved (from Las Vegas) to Aspen, Colorado when I was 14. I just wanted to be really cool; I wanted to hang out with the people I thought were really awesome,” he added.

Those “awesome” people, he said, turned out to be skateboarders and snowboarders. “I become really good friends with those guys; I travelled everywhere with them; I bleached my hair; I pierced my nose. Then I got injured. I met another guy I thought was really cool, and he happened to be a chef. So I asked him if he could train me. Somehow, I got lucky. I became a chef. And here I am.”

That, in a nutshell, is his life story — without mentioning the bits where he was also a professional snowboarder for seven years, worked as executive chef at Nobu in Aspen, and starred in the reality cooking competition show Iron Chef America.

“After 2017, I think I will be a little bit cooler,” the 42-year-old chuckled. Next year, he is opening restaurants in Texas, Beverly Hills Los Angeles, Jakarta, Toronto and in Korea, the country of his birth. But “the biggest one for us is Dubai. Dubai is going to be a monster. I cannot wait. It’s just badass. Next year, I’ll be really, really busy. I’m going to turn off all my phones.”

Happily for us in Singapore, we don’t have to wait to taste his brand of Japanese-American cuisine with Korean influences. At the newly opened Akira Back restaurant, decorated with his mother’s paintings, you’ll find his signature Tuna Pizza and what he promises will be “the best steak you’ve ever eaten”.

Q. What is your favourite country to go for inspiration for your work?

A: This year, my favourite country so far is Singapore. It’s just positive energy. A couple of days ago, they did a monk’s blessing ceremony here. I’d never seen it. I thought it was the coolest thing. I followed them around and took videos. They thought I was making fun of them. But I really loved it. Singapore is pretty much the best hub in Asia, so, for me, (opening here) is very, very exciting and important. Singapore is like Las Vegas — it’s a melting pot. Vegas is not America. If you go to the Strip, you see so many different people — in a good way. I feel the same way here. It’s really cool. And it fits my cuisine. That made me really confident that I want to open here.

Q. Did you have any conception of Singapore food, and did you think about incorporating some local elements into your menu here?

A: We’re trying to use a lot of local stuff. We’re resourcing still. Flavour-wise, I’m not going to change anything, because we have a brand that we have to take care of. But luckily, Singaporeans like spicy and sweet tastes, just like Koreans do. And they like light flavours too, like citrus and vinegar. That counts as Japanese. So I think my cuisine will merge perfectly. I also want to bring Las Vegas in, so I want to put our music on a little bit louder than in other restaurants.

Q: Have you eaten any Singapore food you liked?

A: Before I leave, no matter what, I’m going to eat — you’re going to laugh, but I don’t care because I’m a tourist — I’m going to eat chilli crab. That’s the only thing I’m going to make time to eat no matter what. And my parents talk about it too.

Q: On your travels around the world, what is the most exciting food you have seen or eaten?

A: In terms of ingredients, I’m spoiled. We got this beef from Australia. It was such good beef. We went to Australia to see the farm, and I tasted the grass the cows were eating. Their meat tastes like grass, and I want to know about that. So, that kind of stuff makes me really excited. Pigs eat acorns, right? Coming from Korea, I thought that was only in Korea. But Spain is doing it. Many countries are doing it.

Q: What is the weirdest thing you have eaten on your travels?

A: If you go to Japan, there’s some weird stuff. Those guys are weird. Have you eaten silkworms? You must try. I used to have them when I played baseball. I got nervous easily, so my mum used to blend them with soya bean powder mixed with water, milk and sugar. But she never told me until I was older.

Q: When you are on vacation, what is your favourite place to visit?

A: Anywhere with water or snow. Next month, I’m going snowboarding. I’m very excited. Have you heard of Yellowstone? But you guys are thinking Wyoming, right? Yellowstone, Montana. It’s so sick. So much snow. Last time I went, it snowed every day. Lots of powder. Sports really helps cooking. It’s really physical, actually — if your body’s not ready, you cannot do it.