Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2024
• First Four Seasons Assignment: current

Employment History

• Carna, SLS Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas; Sage Grill & Bar and Botaniko, Shangri-La The Fort, Manila, Philippines; Mandarin Grill, Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; FUEGO, Shangri-La, Doha, Qatar; CUT by Wolfgang Puck, Dubai, UAE; Al-Muntaha, Dubai, UAE

Education

• Professional Chef, Escuela de Arte Gastronomico, Argentina; Pastry Chef, Pastelería Maestra, Argentina; Chef Chocolatier, Ingrid Cook Escuela del Chocolate, Argentina

Birthplace

• Hurlingham, Argentina

Languages Spoken

• Spanish, English

With a passion for barbeque embedded in his DNA, Chef Sebastian Barcudes takes the art of charcoal-grilling to a whole new level. Growing up in Argentina, he lived in a diverse neighbourhood united by its love of good food. From paellas to pastas to barbeques, “eating together always felt like a celebration” — a feeling he now seeks to recreate every day at EMBA Chophouse.

Young Barcudes was all of five when his cooking journey began. Starting out with little homemade cakes for loved ones, he soon took over the role of dessert-maker for the family, supplementing his mother’s excellent home cooking. At 17, he joined a local restaurant as a dishwasher. The moment he stepped into the “controlled chaos” of the kitchen, everything fell into place. “There was an instant connection. The passion, the teamwork, the energy — it was like playing a sport. I’ve been addicted to it ever since,” he says.

Quickly taking on the role of kitchen apprentice, Barcudes simultaneously signed up for culinary school with a specialization in pastry. What followed was an intense whirlwind of work and study, where 21-hour days were the norm. Nevertheless, Barcudes considers himself lucky: “How many people get to do what they truly love?”

Equipped with his new qualifications, Barcudes set sail to expand his culinary horizons. He sharpened his skills at Al-Muntaha (1 Michelin star) and CUT by Wolfgang Puck in Dubai, then joined as chef de cuisine for the preopening of an Argentinian fine dining restaurant at a luxury hotel in Doha. This would prove to be an intense learning experience — “everything that could go wrong went wrong!” — drilling the value of patience and perseverance into the young chef.

Next came a successful stint at a high-end grill restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, followed by a move to the Philippines, where Barcudes took charge of multiple food and beverage outlets at a luxury hotel. Most recently, he served as chef de cuisine of Carna, a well-known Bahamas steakhouse by celebrity Chef Dario Cecchini, where he spearheaded a star-studded food festival attended by gastronomes and acclaimed chefs alike.

Now at EMBA Chophouse, he brings a wealth of global experience to the kitchen. Ingredients receive top billing, with Barcudes working personally with handpicked suppliers to procure a world-class selection of meats, fresh seafood and seasonal vegetables for the menu.

And it doesn’t stop there. “How you use those ingredients is equally important,” he notes, recalling his early education in asado — the famed art of traditional Argentinian barbeque, known for using techniques such as marination and slow-cooking to develop the inherent flavours of the meat. Drawing on this rich culinary heritage, Barcudes leads the team in skilfully weaving together elements such as spices and dry ageing, charcoal and fire, to deliver pure smoky magic.

Although he transitioned from confectionary to grills early in his career, Barcudes continues to draw on pastry-style precision to elevate his craft: “Along with relying on your senses, you need to maintain consistency. The temperatures must be perfectly controlled. This is only possible when you have a deep understanding of the ingredients and the fire itself.”

When he is not at work, Barcudes is happiest in his role as family man, from enjoying playtime at the park to baking cakes with his kids. An avid cultural explorer, he also loves to experience different facets of Japan, from learning karate in Okinawa to visiting Nintendo World in Osaka.