Dean of the Consular Corps of Hawaii

Kusuma Cooray is a Professor at the University of Hawaii- Culinary Institute of the Pacific. She has been teaching here since 1998.

Kusuma had her culinary training at the Le Cordon Bleu in London, the National baking School in London, and La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris. She obtained her technical training at Marks and Spencer Directors Dining Room, London, and at Henri IV Restaurant in Chartres France.

She was awarded a Scholarship by the Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration to follow Professional Development Courses in Restaurant Management, and Food and Beverage Management; and a special consultation program with the Cornell faculty to gain insights on developing curricula and syllabi. She was also a guest lecturer at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.

Kusuma was the Corporate Chef for tobacco heiress Doris Duke and later was the Executive Chef for the famous landmark restaurant in Hawaii The Willows. She was Consultant to the Singapore Airlines/Dobbs Honolulu, and Sheraton Waikiki.

She has won several awards; these include the Burton Trophy for the Outstanding Student –National Bakery School, London, and Nino J. Martin’s “Invitational Best of the East-West Chefs” award; the Chaine des Rotisseurs Brillat Savarin Medal of Honor and most recently the Gold Star of Excellence in recognition of the contributions made towards the education of young chefs in the State of Hawaii.

Kusuma was the initiator and project coordinator for “Island State; Island Nation” 1998-2000- Partnerships in Tourism Workforce Development in Sri Lanka a USAID funded project.

She is the author of “Burst of flavor” highlighting spices and harmonizing East- West flavors a 275 page book published by the University of Hawaii Press. “Burst of Flavor” won the Publishers award in 2002.