Inspiring Arts
Inspiring Arts Profile
A True Identity
by Mike Yoshiura
Jon Matsubara was your typical teenager content with just getting by in life. He thought he would figure things out in college, so he spent his high school years just trying to stay afloat. What was it that he lacked? A true identity…
"If I could get away with Cs I would. I wouldn't go out of my way or do anything extra to get ahead. At that age, I didn't know who I was, but I thought I had enough time to figure things out," said Jon Matsubara.
After four years at the University of Puget Sound, Matsubara graduated in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in Native American History. "I thought it was cool! It was all over the place in the Midwest. It was almost like being in Hawai'i where you're surrounded by the Hawaiian culture. I saw that connection and I embraced it."
The Honolulu native spent his teenage years thinking that college would allow him the time to figure things out for himself. The only thing he discovered was that he wasn't cut out for a career involving Native American History. "After I graduated, I still didn't know what I wanted to do. I did some thinking and I thought if I went to law school all of my problems would go away."
Thinking his problems would magically disappear, Matsubara decided to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue a new career at the California Western School of Law in San Diego. Luckily it only took him a year to figure out that he wasn't cut out to be a lawyer. "I realized that I would never be successful in the industry. There were students that were so excited, and I could tell that they were passionate about what they were doing. I realized that I had to come up with something that I could get excited about."
Sharing a room with his brother in San Diego, Matsubara was the primary provider of the home cooked meal. He ritualistically watched the television show "Great Chefs-Great Cities," and he would incorporate his new recipes into the kitchen. "Cooking was mysterious and fascinating. My brother and my friends loved my food. It was like role playing and it was so addictive."
Through a friend, Matsubara got an opportunity to shadow the executive chef at the Plaza Club in San Diego. Matsubara was so awestruck that he didn't want to go home at the end of the night. What started out as a little taste test turned into a fulfilling four-course meal. "I went in at 11 in the morning, and I didn't end up leaving till midnight. At that moment, I knew in my heart that this was what I wanted to do."
After a year of law school, Matsubara followed his heart and returned home to reinvent himself yet again. He applied to work at Roy's and Alan Wong's, but his lack of experience in the food and beverage industry excluded him from all but one job description. "They thought I was crazy because I had no experience. I said to them, what can I do to get in the kitchen? They said, 'you can be a dish washer.' "
Matsubara humbly accepted both dishwashing positions, and after 14 days management at Roy's took notice of his work ethic and promoted him to line cook. Matsubara spent the next three years racking up the experience, and in 1999 he left Hawai'i for the French Culinary Institute [FCI] in Manhattan. "I knew I had to learn more, but picking up and moving to New York was a big risk. This time, I knew I had to maximize my learning experience. I didn't want to leave New York with any regrets. I was at that point in my life where I knew exactly what I had to do."
With his back against the wall, Matsubara made a lot of sacrifices; and looking back he has no regrets. He studied at three of New York's most highly touted restaurants: Bouley, Tabla, and Jean Georges. At the time there were only four restaurants with a four-starrating, and Jean Georges was one of them.
Matsubara kept what he refers to as "bibles" with all kinds of notes and recipes. At one point he was paying $250 a month to live in a locker room with no windows, a bed, a television, and a small hotel-like refrigerator. He lived on a meager budget, and in four years he only had enough money to fly home once. But he made it! "I wouldn't want my kids to have to go through that. It's funny now because I don't know if I would go through that all over again."
Jon's perseverance helped him achieve his dream; and according to him, "If you love what you do it's never out of reach. Be confident in who you are because once you figure that out you'll know what you want to do."
These days Matsubara is demonstrating his unique flair as the Executive Chef at the Honolulu Design Center, which recently opened in April.
