Chefs from Ishikawa Prefecture Visit NYC
In addition to sending chefs to Japan through The Gohan Society’s U.S.-
Japan Culinary Chefs Scholarship Exchange Program, we also invite
Japanese chefs to participate in an exchange with top-level restaurants in
New York. Four chefs from Ishikawa Prefecture visited New York in early
February and took part in four-day “internships” at Jean-Georges, Oceana,
and Bouley.
Takuya Nomura is a sous chef at Tsubajin, a ryotei established in 1752 that
serves kaiseki cuisine. Chef Nomura spent his time at Jean-Georges, where
he studied the combination of Japanese and French cuisine. Comparing his
experience to that of a French restaurant in New York, Chef Nomura says
that the preparation of dishes is totally different at Jean-Georges.
He encountered new vegetables that he doesn’t see in Japan and learned
that there are a lot of thick sauces associated with French cuisine. The
restaurant’s use of Japanese ingredients such as uni and yuzu was a
pleasant surprise for Chef Nomura, and he delighted in what he referred to
as “the French version of sushi.” What struck him the most was the
appearance of the kitchen facility. “The restaurant is always clean,” Chef
Nomura says, “It gives me a good feeling.”
Tai Kiyomasa (middle) of kaiseki restaurant Takitei participated in the
exchange program last year and was happy to return to New York, where he
worked alongside Joseph Rosa at Oceana. Chef Kiyomasa cut vegetables
and prepped for Oceana’s busy dinner crowd. During his training, Chef
Kiyomasa says he was always looking around the restaurant to observe the
process of the kitchen. “We don’t have all of these machines in Japan,” says
Chef Kiyomasa, saying that most prep work at Takitei is done by hand. He
says that he will employ some of the new techniques he learned in New York
into his everyday practice.
Bouley hosted two chefs from Ishikawa, Yusuke Yamamoto of Kanazawa
Sekitei and Shoji Fune from Zeniya. This was the first visit to New York for
both chefs, and they enjoyed immersing themselves in Bouley’s kitchen,
where they were happy to see so many Japanese ingredients in use. Chef
Yamamoto was surprised that chawan mushi is on the menu at Bouley, and
he cites that dish as well as the desserts to be his favorites. Chef Fune's
favorite dish is the beautifully plated uni in its shell.
Through the generosity of our supporters, The Gohan Society is pleased to
provide the opportunity for chefs to participate in this enriching exchange
program.