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View all search resultsBeyond the plate: An Indonesian chef-sommelier’s culinary vision
Kaskara Hasibuan reflects on his international career, his pop-up platform Comocasa, and how global training has shaped his approach to cooking and wine.
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Taste session: Chef and certified sommelier Kaskara Hasibuan holds a wine glass while sitting down in this undated picture.
(Kaskara Hasibuan/-)
C
hef and certified sommelier Kaskara Hasibuan has built an international career spanning kitchens and dining rooms from Jakarta to New York and California's Napa Valley in the United States, as well as London.
His formal training at the Culinary Institute of America was followed by stints in some of the world’s most exacting kitchens, including the two-Michelin-starred Atomix in New York and the iconic three-Michelin-starred The French Laundry in California. Both are widely regarded among the most demanding restaurants in the world.
Alongside his work on the line, he earned certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers, formalizing a parallel discipline in wine, beverage storytelling and fine-dining service to a rigorously tested international standard.
In 2020, after leaving his studies in political science, he founded Comocasa, a pop-up dining platform that has since staged narrative-driven dinners across Jakarta, London and New York, establishing a distinct voice rooted in discipline, storytelling and hospitality.
Most recently, Kaskara took part in a sold-out six-hands dinner at The Penthouse, The Papilion Kemang, in South Jakarta, cooking alongside fellow internationally trained chefs Ashley Clarise Widjaja and Giangregorio Bartolatta. The event drew a select guest list and showcased a wine program he personally curated, featuring rare and characterful bottles tailored to the Jakarta market.
Against that backdrop, the chef reflects on his international journey and what it means for Indonesia’s next generation of chefs. Below are excerpts.
Question: Your path into food began outside the classic culinary school narrative, and yet you now sit comfortably as an established chef with a track record across several major cities. How do you describe that early decision to leave political science behind and build Comocasa? And looking back, how has Comocasa evolved from a small experiment into a recognized platform?
