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.