A painful, disabling condition caused Hilo dentist Alan Fujimoto to retire several years ago after decades of practice.
Dentistry’s loss was Hawaii Community College’s gain.
Now a second-year culinary arts student, Fujimoto, 68, was recently rolling out tagliatelle pasta with the intensity and focus of an artist, for a bountiful Italian meal to be served in the on-campus restaurant Bamboo Hale.
Fujimoto has loved cooking since he was a child. He had inquired about the college’s culinary program while he was still practicing dentistry, but was told it was a full-time commitment.
So, when he was sidelined and his physical therapist told him he needed movement and exercise, the timing was right to jump from the proverbial fire pan into the fire — where 11-hour days are not unheard of.
“I’m looking for a vocational skill and to tell the truth, it’s pretty rigorous. It is time-consuming,” Fujimoto said. “If you don’t put in the time, you are not gonna get anything out of it.”
Yet, his HCC experiences stand in stark contrast to the sometimes harsh eight years of formal higher education he needed to become a dentist, when he remembers getting yelled at — a lot.
“I went to school for a very long time, and I went through a lot of different professors, different educational systems,” said Fujimoto. “HCC is the only one — I can say this really, very sincerely — they’re the most supportive faculty that I’ve ever met in my life.”
Chef Instructor Philton Velasco called Fujimoto a “special guy” who is willing to share his knowledge, life experiences and more with his classmates, most of whom are decades younger.
Fujimoto brought his pasta maker to use for the Italian cooking sessions and his chocolate fountain to celebrate a classmate who was getting married.
“He’s awesome,” said Velasco. “He’s got a great understanding of food.”
Chancellor Susan Kazama said she knows of just one or two other people who have transitioned to something totally different after full professional careers.
“He’s an excellent dentist, and then he moved into something else, where he can unleash his creativity,” Kazama said. “You can start from a professional career and then reinvent yourself into what you truly want, and that’s what I see him doing, because I can see the love that he has for how he creates and cooks.”
This is not Fujimoto’s last reinvention. He has his sights set on becoming a master sommelier, but that will have to wait until after graduation from HCC in May.
“One thing I truly do want to do more than furthering my education and pursuing my other hobbies after finishing the culinary program would be to be a better husband and supporter for my wife, Phyllis, to whom I’ve been married for over 40 years,” Fujimoto said. “These last two years at HCC were very demanding and time-consuming, and I couldn’t have done it without her continued support and understanding.
“I’m really looking forward to staying at home more, cooking for her and catering to her flavor profiles more than anything else.”
