Watching from the back as his parents ran their yakiniku shop, he resolved to follow the same path

Chef Sakai was born on June 1st, 1973, in Osaka. From a young age, he watched his parents run their yakiniku restaurant. At some point, he started to think that he also wanted to work with yakiniku and decided to become a chef. He built up his training and experience at yakiniku restaurants, and now shows off this expertise at Yakiniku Rashomon. He has spent many years in the pursuit of delicious meat, and the taste he has produced can be enjoyed by a range of ages. His restaurant is popular both with local repeat visitors, as well as with customers who come from a distance.

Our chef's former occupation as an automotive engineer allowed him to transition brilliantly into a culinary architect who lets nothing go to waste.

He had originally worked as an engineer for the automobile industry, but after the Oil Crisis he switched careers to become a chef - a longtime passion. He ran his own food cart while attending culinary school, serving dark beer, which was quite rare at the time. He opened this establishment, "COTTON FIELDS", in 1980. He takes special care in selecting ingredients, and his motto is not to let a single part go to waste, with a special talent for bringing out the unique flavor of each component. He's most famous for his excellent spare ribs, garnished with a secret sauce he invented back in his food cart days.

I had a fascination with the hospitality industry and I always hoped to have my own place!

My first job working in the hospitality industry was at an izakaya. While I was working there, I became very interested in the industry and I began to think about starting up my own place. From that time on, all of my attention went into learning how to cook. The izakaya that I worked at focused mainly on seafood based cuisine, which meant that I gained a lot of knowledge and tricks about cooking with fish. People say that my knowledge of fish is on a different level to others.

In the restaurant business for nearly 30 years. Now a chef who captivates many

When he was a student, Koichi Ryu began working in a restaurant without much serious thought. But he was so taken by the head chef there that he started on the culinary path at the age of 18. At one point, he almost threw in the towel but there was no way he could completely give up on the culinary world. It's been thirty years now since he first chose this career. After working at Hakata Saryo, Fugu Taisho, Moyai (small restaurant), and various other restaurants, Mr. Ryu is now the owner of Ryuichi in Zashonokuma.

Our whole-hearted hope is that you will eat our delicious food and smile

Ever since Mr. Satou was a child he enjoyed food and always loved watching people smile and enjoy themselves as they ate. Thanks to his father, who ran a butcher shop, he was strongly influenced to want to see people enjoy delicious food. He succeeded his father in his butchering business and hormone-manufacturing business, and working there for 25 years he acquired a lot of know-how. At the age of 46 he stepped into the food industry for real, setting up his own shop, and after that opened "Sakura". It's now been over 15 years since the restaurant opened, and he's still doing his best to make sure his customers are happy day after day.

My career started when I met my mentor, chef Masayuki Okuda at a job interview for a hotel.

Born in 1975, in Yamagata. It was only natural for him, as a food-lover since childhood, to enter the restaurant industry after high school. Based on a newspaper ad, he applied for a position at the Tsuruoka Washington Hotel, where he met his mentor, chef Masayuki Okuda. After working in a restaurant in Akita, he received an offer from Mr. Okuda to work for "Al Checciano", which he accepted. He moved to Tokyo in 2010, and after participating in the opening of several restaurants, he became the chef at"YAMAGATA San-Dan-Delo".

A chef who creates everything from spices to exquisite dishes

Born in 1950 in Kobe city, the chef has always dreamed of opening his own Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) restaurant and studies everything about Yakiniku himself. The chef makes everything, except for the ingredients themselves, himself. He also cuts the delicious beef into thick, enjoyable pieces. With his mother's original recipe, the chef serves delicious dishes. The restaurant he opened in San-no-miya in 1990, "Sumibi-yakiniku Abee" has numerous fans and frequenters.

Techniques cultivated on Rishiri Island from a younge age. A Japanese chef who is fastidious about "vitality".

With his father cooking at his own shop in Susukino, Chef Kato spent his youth close to the kitchen. He hammered into himself the fundamentals of Japanese cuisine through rigorous training at Kanotei, the culinary ryokan of his father's associate on Rishiri Island. From the knowledge of seafood preparation he gained at that time, even now he's fastidious about the "vitality" of fresh seafood. After ten years of experience on Rishiri, he now exercises his skill in Asashikawa.

Our chef adds a stylish presentation to Hong Kong-style Cantonese cuisine

Our chef was born in May 1965 and is a native of Miyagi Prefecture's Sendai City. His interest in cooking started around the age of 20. On a visit to Hong Kong at the age of 24, the flavors of the authentic dishes he experienced there impressed him so profoundly that afterwards he sought out Hong Kong-style Cantonese cuisine. He moved to Tokyo at 29 and, after training mainly at hotel restaurants, including the Tokyo and Maihama Sheraton Hotels, he participated in the opening of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Tokyo. Three years later, he achieved his first one-star Michelin rating and, after another four years, he opened Cantonese "Tsubame" KEN TAKASE.

He brings all of the culinary skills he's cultivated to life here at Kagura

He entered the culinary world at the age of 18. First, he built up experience at authentic Japanese restaurants all around Osaka. He then offered his skills to the owner of Kagura in 2012, where he was promoted to head chef.

His training started from as early as elementary school and he was considered a cooking genius.

He started working at a Japanese restaurant and Japanese sweet shops when he was an elementary school student. He graduated from the culinary school, Tsuji, and also went to France to study at a French cooking college. He went to Alsace and visited other areas as well. He became a chef after four years and returned to Japan after eight years in total. In 2012, he opened La FinS.

A chef who layers the flavors of the four seasons and the encounters between people

Kojiro Kashiwada is a native of Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu. Because he had a dining hall for a home, he naturally chose the path of the chef. After training at a ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant) in Osaka that specialized in catering, he worked for five years at Gyozantei in Miyazaki before moving to Tokyo in order to establish the second branch of that restaurant in the Akasaka neighborhood. He worked for about seven years at the Akasaka store before setting out on his own. It has been 16 years since he first opened Kasane.

Since deeply enjoying chicken as a child, he headed straight on the path to being a chef.

A chef with strong roots, his father worked as head chef of Tokyo Kaikan and cooked chicken roasts on his days off. Because of his enjoyment of chicken, he set out to be a yakitori (chicken skewer) chef from the age of 19. Since leaving home he spent 20 years leading his siblings at the famous "Kushi Ginza," before opening "Hinaizidori-Yakitori Maekawa" in 2011. Since then he has only used Hyuga Dori and Nagoya Kochin chicken from the best hand-rearing farms in the country. He continues to search for new ways to use the best ingredients.

Fascinated by the ingredients of Hokkaido

The chef started his career at a Japanese cuisine restaurant when he was 18 years old. After advancing his profession through experiences and training, he served as the head chef at the sister restaurant Suginome Hotel Okura Sapporo branch in 2014. Today, as the head chef of this restaurant Suginome Main branch established in 1915, he introduces the local cuisine to the guests using Hokkaido’s great ingredients such as crab and other fresh seafoods.

Doing part time work as a student inspired me to enter the world of cuisine

I was born in Tokyo during June 1975, and set my heart on entering the world of cuisine after taking on part time work at a restaurant during my university days. After gaining experience at various restaurants I became a chef at FRENCHIES. As a restaurant where you can casually savor delicious food and wine, we offer a broad menu that is well-matched to the taste of the wines.

After all, the love of cooking lead to this profession.

Impressed by the food he ate at a restaurant when he was in elementary school

Born in Kansai in 1972. He was impressed by the Chinese food he ate in elementary school at the restaurant ATAKA. When he graduated high school he decided to enter the world of Chinese cuisine that he so loved. He has since trained at Shoentei.

With food hygiene his top priority, he is a chef who appraises his fresh ingredients

Born on February 24th, 1951, he hails from Tokyo. He mastered the foundations of Japanese cuisine primarily through small restaurants. He has been involved with Yakitori Toriryori Toritatsu since 2010. Because the food he cooks is for his customers, it is understandable when he says, "More than anything else, I pay attention to my judgement of the ingredients."

Experienced delectable Japanese cuisine during his culinary training and decided to devote himself entirely to Japanese cuisine

He was born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1979. After graduating from high school, he started working part-time at a restaurant. Subsequently, he honed his craft for 5 years at a Japanese restaurant before working at Seafood Restaurant Zauo Main Store. Meticulously preparing fresh dishes, he puts his heart and soul into ensuring that these dishes will evoke feelings from his customers.

Cuisine to be shared with guests that is the culmination of our chef's life experiences

Our chef was born in Mexico in January, 1967. In 1983 he began working at "Crown Plaza Holiday Inn" in Mexico, after which he went on to work in top hotels in America, Switzerland, Japan, and Egypt. Since 2010 he has been head chef at Conrad Tokyo, where he supervises "Bar and Lounge Twenty-Eight".