Profile: Alfredo Cabacungan

Chef Alfredo Cabacungan brings a diversity of experience, both in Hawai'i and abroad, to Kapi-'olani Community College.

Born: Makaweli, Kaua'i; lived most of his life in Hawai'i

Culinary background: Began as a dishwasher on his home island in 1959 at a tiny resort, the Wailua Ranch Hotel, which had the first full-service restaurant on the island. From 1964 and 1994, he rose through the ranks at resorts and restaurants including the Coco Palms, Kauai Surf Resort and the Waiohai Resort Hotel on Kaua'i; John Dominis (which he opened in 1979) and Wai'alae Country Club on O'ahu, the Sheraton Ka'anapali Beach Hotel on Maui and the Orchid Penang Hotel in Malaysia. In 1994, he joined the staff at Kap'iolani Community College. His areas of specialization are Asian-Pacific, fusion, Pacific-rim and Hawai'i Regional Cuisine. Most recently, he represented the college as an exchange scholar in China, Sri Lanka, and Thailand to develop international partnerships with countries eager to learn Western culinary arts. Cabacungan is now learning the Japanese language to help him teach culinary arts to students from Japan.

All in the family: The chef's son, Alfred R. Cabacungan, is executive sous chef at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

My style of cooking: "Classic, Mediterranean, Asian"

I love to cook with: "Eggplant — grilled, braised, stewed or roasted, and make it into an appetizer, accompaniment or main dish"

My favorite decadent meal is: "Cantonese-style roast duck or roast suckling pig with Filipino-style salsa"

My comfort food is: "Pasta in any shape or form"

My favorite cookbook is: "The French Laundry Cookbook" by Thomas Keller

My favorite kitchen tool is: The Chinese cleaver

When I'm hungry, I grab: "Fried chicken"

When I'm not working, I like to: "Go to the movies and travel"

When I go out to eat, I like: "La Mer — the quality of food, presentation and flavor is most excellent!"

My favorite dish to prepare is: "Marinated pig's cheeks, grilled, seasoned and flavored with onions and poached pig's brains"

The weirdest ingredient I've ever used was: "King cobra snake, in Thailand"

If I could invite any three people, living or dead, to share a meal with me, they would be: "Escoffier, my mom and dad and President Bush"

More information: http://programs.kcc.hawaii.edu/%7Efshe/culinary/faculty/alfredo.htm