Kusa was born on a small colony of Uplifted animals in the Diaspora whose real name is forgotten, but most spacers simply call the Menagerie.
Kusa was not modified himself, but is instead the child of two uplifted.
Unlike his parents, Kusa is descended from Kodiak stock. Also unlike his parents who were among the militia that protected the settlement, Kusa wanted to be a chef. His parents scrimped and saved for years to send him to cooking school on Absalom Station, where he would have the opportunity to learn many different styles of cooking.
It was in university that he met his future wife, a Vesk by the name of Raxima. They dated for a while and eventually decided to marry, even if they would never be able to have children. While his family supported his decision (even if his younger sister jokingly calls him a race traitor) Raxima's family was not so forgiving. He has to survive three separate challenges from the men in her family before they would eventually begrudgingly support their marriage.
After graduating and getting married, Kusa tried to get work in a restaurant, but his appearance and size prevented any upscale restaurant from hiring him. Eventually, he had to settle for opening a Noodle shop in the Gallery, one of the smaller and less affluent parts of the station.
Kusa is skilled enough to get a position in a 3 star restaurant, but none would give him a chance, so instead he takes cooking for the common man as a badge of honor.
Having grown up in a small colony where everyone helps everyone, Kusa always makes sure that those who can't afford to eat will have something to eat, a point of contention between him and his wife (who, like most Vesk, believe that each individual must be able to take care of themselves).
Recently, Kusa's wife has started commenting about him eating too much of his own cooking, so he decided to enroll an a martial arts class. His wife recommended one, and he started taking lessons.
Thus it is that Kusa lives his life.
