A fateful encounter during a five-year stay in Madrid…

He was born in Kochi prefecture in 1981. After graduating from culinary school, he started his career with a role in a Japanese restaurant. He decided to shift his focus after motivation from a special feature on Spain that he read in a magazine, and went to Spain when he was 22. He trained at various places such as Castile and Leon, and spent five years at the Arroceria "Mano a Mano" in Madrid. He returned to Japan when he was 29. In September 2012, he opened "Arroceria Sal y Amor" together with Mr. Victor Garcia, whom he met in Madrid, as a co-owner.

A chef who works hard to make dishes that are just as fun to eat as they are to look at.

He was born in October of 1974 and grew up in Fukushima Prefecture. During his student years he worked part-time helping prepare food at a ryokan (Japanese-style inn), which put him on the path to becoming a chef. After training for about six years in Tokyo, he made his way back home. He puts a lot of effort into making truly delightful dishes that are just as fun to eat as they are to look at, and he loves it when his customers can stop in and enjoy his food while they have an amazing time.

Serving the specialty hamburger steak I have cooked for a long in my own restaurant

He was born in Kagoshima Prefecture in 1954. After graduating from a high school, he came to Tokyo to enter the restaurant business. Chance led him to joining "Cowbell," a restaurant whose specialty is hamburgers. He worked there as a chef for 40 years. He did not initially think of independence, but gradually became eager to have his own restaurant. He finally set up his own restaurant 24 years ago. Currently, he and his wife are working closely together to provide delicious food and hearty service.

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

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.

Offering local cuisine made using naturally abundant Shimane ingredients

Born August 16th in Shimane Prefecture. After graduating from high school, he attended culinary school. Upon graduation he went to work for Creative Group Inc., a company that runs a number of prominent restaurants. In 2012 his first assignment was determined to be Mond Nihonbashi, so he traveled to Tokyo. Now he treats Tokyo's Nihonbashi to the nostalgic Shimane flavors of his youth.

By strictly enforcing standards of quality cultivated in the meat industry, we provide the finest quality beef.

Born in Mita city, Hyogo prefecture in 1956. He spent eight years in the meat industry, and obtained the qualification 'Diploma in Meat Technology', which is designed to ensure meat quality. He became interested in 'Mitaya' after hearing about their domestically-reared fillet steak set menu, which attracts customers to his home, Hyogo prefecture, from other parts of Japan. It was not long before he joined the company, where he is now putting the skills and experience he cultivated in the meat industry to work in his role overseeing all of their branches.

He pours 100% of his effort into every skewer to offer you his best every time.

Born in 1976, a native of Hokkaido's Muroran City. After working at a pub as a part-time job, he decided to enter the world of the culinary arts. He worked at a pub in Sapporo for almost ten years, were he learned how to manage food preparation and instruct staff - the whole operation of a successful restaurant. In 2004, he returned to his hometown of Muroran and began working at "Yakitori no Ippei Main Store." He tells us that "there's no way you could get this kind of quality at a cheap yakitori joint - my motto is to cook every single skewer to delicious perfection before I offer it to my customers."

Seeing the form of the maker in the made is the charm of "vin naturel"

Born 1974 and coming from Gunma, he went on to a culinary college after graduating high school, aiming to be a chef. Graduating from there, he spent some time in another line of work before working a chef for about twelve years at an Italian restaurant in Hachioji. BIANCARA's owner, Mr. Kodaira, was in the same year as him in middle school, and from 2012 he has been chef here. Though coming from an background in Italian, and the closeness to wine that brings, he says that he first drank natural wine coming to BIANCARA. At current, he's tending and bringing to fruition wine conversation with guests daily.

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.

Enjoy "Kushiage" (fried skewers), have fun with the chef, and understand its depth.

After graduating from culinary school, he hoped to become a patissier, so he began working at a French restaurant through an introduction from the school. Following that an acquaintance introduced me to a steakhouse. Ultimately, he wound up working at several different restaurants. When he turned 30, he began thinking about the chef he wanted to become. He started at a kushiage (fried skewers) restaurant. It was his first time interacting with customers at a counter. As a chef, there was nothing better than directly seeing a customer's reaction. 15 years has since passed and he has continued working as a kushiage chef.

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.

The smiles of his customers inspire him to spend every day trying to make the best possible food on his hot plate.

He was born in Tokyo in 1995. From a young age he was interested in cooking, and when he was a student, he gained experience in the food industry through part-time jobs. This experience led to him setting his heart upon a career within cooking. In 2010, he started work at Asakusa Monja Ocomo. He became interested in working with a hot plate, which allows for a wide range of cooking to be performed. Every day he tries out new ideas as he cooks. He also puts his heart into welcoming his customers to make them happy.

He had a mind to open his own, cozy place.

He was born January 31st, 1954, in Okayama Prefecture's Kurashiki City. After graduating from college, Ozaki found employment in the restaurant business. After focusing on take-out for eight years, he switched to eat-in cooking, studying in the capital city for four years before finally realizing his chef's dream of owning his own restaurant. After running Mamakari for 15 years, at the age of 34, he opened Shitamachi Shokusai Daidokoro. With a wide variety of creative Japanese cuisine and daily specials on offer, he welcomes diners with a cozy and comfortable atmosphere.

Offers up big portions made with top quality ingredients.

He was born March 8th, 1972, in Osaka Prefecture. Wanting to become a cook, after finishing high school, he began apprenticing at Tori Ryori after a friend introduced him. After that, he continued working at the same restaurant as a cook. Tondabayashi, Osaka is a place blessed with tranquil nature; a place where people go to get directly-sourced, fresh ingredients to create delicious meals.

After his father's retirement, he succeeded the family business spanning 3 generations and 50 years

He was born in Aichi Prefecture in 1968. He first thought of running a Korean barbecue shop when he was 40. When his father, the previous head, retired, he felt that someone had to continue the store that his grandfather had started, so he quit his construction job and entered the world of Korean barbecue.

Our chef turned his passion for cooking into a career, and has experience in a wine variety of cuisines

He entered the world of the culinary arts out of a love of cooking. He learned the basic principles of cuisine at a Japanese-style restaurant. After that he strived to improve his skills, taking up a position at a cake shop making desserts. Today his specialty is creative dishes that cross the boundaries of different culinary styles.

A diehard chef, straight along this road from his middleschool longing

Born August 19, 1968, in Yokosuka, Kanazawa, during his middle school days he always gazed upon the neighborhood Chinese restaurant, impressed with the smells and the sounds he heard from its kitchen. He was inspired when a person from the restaurant noticed this and made him fried rice. While working as a part-timer at that restaurant, learning many things from the owner, he started on the chef's path. He built up experience at many different Chinese restaurants, most notable The Westin Tokyo's Ryutemmon. He has been working at China Room since 2003.

The cook who refined his cooking skills through endless curiosity for cooking

Born on June 5th, 1969, in Fukuoka prefecture, the chef had been a businessman at a restaurant equipment company. During this career, he slowly developed an interest for cooking. After experiencing Yakitori (skewered chicken) bars and French restaurants, he decided to work at an Izakaya (Japanese pub), Yanagi machi Ikkodo. After experiencing the depth of seafood cuisine, he refined his skills for 8 years. Later, in order to refine his connoisseurship, he worked for 2 years at Itoyoshi. In 2013, he opened up his own restaurant Torasan. The place is known for its numerous regular customers who come for the chef's delicate dishes.

He was drawn to the charms of French cooking, and his experience in famous restaurants has made him a powerful chef.

He was born in 1975 in Osaka. Although he went to a technical high school, he decided to pursue cooking-in both cases, because he enjoys making things. While learning the basics of service at a hotel, he studied cooking as hard as he could, aiming for places like the Riga Royal Hotel, and he got his dream assignment at the Restaurant Chambord, a famous restaurant known for tradition and formality. He had always hoped to become a French chef, and he fell in love with French food even more in that position, where he spent quality time working under a head chef he greatly admired. He has continued to achieve great things and gain experience since then.