American Academy of Chefs honors Okuda

American Academy of Chefs honors Okuda

American Academy of Chefs honors Okuda

The American Academy of Chefs has selected Chef Allan Okuda of Hawaii Community College for induction as an honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Chefs, the honor society of the American Culinary Federation.

Okuda will be honored for his accomplishments as a culinary professional and receive a medal on July 15. He will be inducted at the 2012 ACF National Convention in Orlando, Fla.

Okuda was born and raised on the Big Island and is a graduate of Hilo High School. He has been in the culinary industry for a total of 46 years, beginning at the old Hilo Hotel as a dishwasher for $1.25 an hour. Okuda attended the Hawaii Technical School, U.S. Army Cooks and Bakers School, Hawaii Community College and the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

He loves the challenge of teaching students how to become great chefs and seeing the look of happiness on their faces when they create a great dish for their customers. His advice to students who aspire to become chefs is to “be honest, be dependable, and go in with a good attitude. Watch everything, listen to everything and taste everything.”