Born February 23rd, 1960, a native of Hyogo Prefecture. After graduating from high school he worked at a number of restaurants, before traveling to France. He studied under Bernard Loiseau, the head chef at La Cote d'Or (now called Le Relais Bernard Loiseau), who gave rise to the Asian-inspired French fusion style, which our chef learned. He returned home to work at the Japanese chef of La Cote d'Or Kobe in 1992. As of 2000 he was promoted to the general manager and head chef of the Kitano Kobe Hotel.

Trained under two master chefs

Born in 1978 in Tokyo. Enrolled in a culinary school and then set out to work in that field. He studied in Shibuya's "Bigorosso" and Daikanyama's "Canobiano" under Uetake Takamasa, and then at the age of 22 he went to Italy for about two and a half years. He improved his craft in many restaurants, including a 2 star Michelin location in Tuscany, the "Tendarossa." After returning to Japan, he trained under Sasajima Yasuhiro at Marunouchi's "Il Giottone," working as a chef from the opening. In 2008, he opened the mainly vegetarian "Frick." It is a restaurant that is very popular with regular customers.

Brings delicious tastes to life with his cooking experience that can't be confined to one culinary style

Born in 1981 in Hida, Gifu Prefecture. Aspiring to become a chef, he trained at the Japanese food restaurant "Izakaya Fumi" in Nagoya city's Chikusa district and "Karatoya" in the Sakae district from the age of 18 on. After that, he returned to Takayama and opened this restaurant in 2012, turning his dream into a reality.

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.

From being raised by a fishmonger, to creating a place to eat delicious fish.

Kawanona was born in Takikawa, Hokkaido in 1969. His family home was a fish shop, so he has a long history of handling fish. At the age of thirty he started training at a Japanese restaurant in Sapporo. However, he had already decided on what he wanted to do, so three years later he opened the current restaurant, which takes the form of an extension on his family home. Everyday he spiritedly wields his knife, hoping to make this restaurant a place where food lovers gather.

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.

Learning the joy of cooking from a Chinese chef, and its depth from a Japanese master.

Born in 1973 in Chiba Prefecture, his inspiration for pursuing this path was a Chinese chef who showed him the joy of cooking at the restaurant where he worked part-time as a high school freshman. He later became the apprentice of a Japanese chef while working at another restaurant. Although the chef was a well-rounded master who had studied abroad, he still said "Nothing beats Japanese beef." Those words made a deep impression on Mr. Ogura.

With steam and speed, this chef offers up Chinese Taiwan cuisine.

I was born in June, 1983 in the city of Hakodate in Hokkaido Prefecture. I was influenced by my father, who ran an Izakaya, and so after I graduated from high school, I decided to learn the ropes of the service industry at a local Japanese-style restaurant. I entered the world of Chinese Taiwan cuisine in 2009 when I started working at Chinese Taiwan Restaurant Misen, thanks to a family connection. I learned by watching Sho, a veteran who showed me how to utilize steam and speed, a style of cooking which is very different from Japanese-style cuisine. It was a period of diligent training for me and I spent my days polishing my skills in the kitchen.

Deeply impressed by the Italians' service and delicious food

Born in 1974 in Tottori, the chef decided to pursue this path while visiting Italy and being drawn to its delicious cuisine and friendly people. After graduating from a culinary school, he entered an Italian restaurant. In 1998, he joined "Vino Hirata" and became head chef in 2009. In May, 2010, he became an owner chef.

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.

The local flavor and cooking philosophy learned at a small restaurant in northern Italy

He was born in Kanagawa prefecture in 1974. He chose to take on Italian cooking under the influence of his brother, Munetaka, who entered the culinary world before him. He underwent training at a famous restaurant in Tokyo before going to Italy in 1999. He perfected his skills there for seven years, with a focus on the northernmost region of Trentino-Alto Adige. While he was there, he ventured into choosing a small restaurant so as to personally experience life in Italy at the location itself. The skills that he learned there, together with the cooking philosophy prized in the area, also show themselves in "ICARO", which he opened with his brother after returning to Japan.

I want to cook delicious food for others to enjoy.

Having a great love for cooking since childhood, he entered the world of cuisine, and after twelve years of experience at a soba restaurant, came to Rikyu. The grilling of beef tongue may be simple but it also has depth. To serve it in its finest form, everyday he centers himself and grills for a delicate perfection.

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

A French chef who draws out the rich flavors of seasonal ingredients yet never loses sight of the basics

Born on March 12, 1973. Grew up in Kanagawa Prefecture. He decided he would become a chef when he came across French cooking through his part-time job in high school and was shocked by the flavors. He graduated from high school while spending a year and a half training in a French restaurant in Kamakura, then worked at Restaurant Aladdin in Ebisu, and travelled to France twice. After that, he helped plan the launch of Maison Cache-Cache. After working as a chef there for 6 years, he opened Restaurant Tani in 2011. Restaurant Tani is designed to be a French restaurant that offers everything from bistro food to gastronomy.

I entered the food world after a chance encounter with the boss.

Originally, Mr. Ikeda said he enjoyed customer service. While he was doing some other job, he met the boss of "Sumibi Yakitori Kirishima" and became interested in the food world. After that, he was invited by the boss to manage the restuarant together.

Passionately dedicated to the art of the grill

When he was looking for a part-time job during his student days, Mr. Hashimoto asked to come work for us at Yakitori Fukusumi. He was so drawn by the complexities of cookery, he decided to stay on with us as a chef after graduation. He has enthusiastically dedicated himself to mastering the art since then, and these days we leave the grilling up to him.

Stepped into the world of culinary from an admiration of white chef coats

Born in 1960 in Aichi prefecture. The glamour of French cuisine left a great impression on him and he set his mind on becoming a French chef himself. He polished his skills at numerous noted restaurants, including The Westin Nagoya Castle, Au Bec Fin Ponto-cho branch, Maxim's de Paris Nagoya branch, and Imperial Wing. In 2004, he took the position of executive chef at Aile d'Ange main branch, a role he maintains to the present day.

After finishing school in China, I started working at a restaurant.

From the age of 20, I trained at Chinese restaurants and worked for 20 years in China. At the time it was tough, but I started with the fundamentals of Chinese cuisine. After this, I came to Japan and worked at a restaurant in Yokohama Chinatown where I offered up Chinese food to Japanese customers. In 2012, I achieved my dream of opening my own restaurant, Kokien, right here in Yokohama Chinatown. I would love for you to come and try my authentic Chinese dishes.

Oebi Tempura Senmonten is fully committed to bring you smiles of joy and surprise.

He was born in January 1951, in Yaotsu Town in Kamo District, Gifu Prefecture. Our manager's previous job was making tempura at a snack store in a market. With 21 years experience in the industry, he created "Oebi Tempura Senmonten" to bring you the freshest shrimp cooked in the most delicious manner. Our chef puts his all every day in order to see our customers' happy, satisfied expressions.

From a chef to a global culinary producer

Born in Tokyo in 1956. At the age of 18 he got his start at the Italian restaurant Hungry Tiger in Nogizaka, and in 1977 he traveled to Italy. He attended the National Hotel College, studying under the French master chef Roger Verge, then returned home for a short time before moving on to the USA. He became the head chef at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C. in 1984. In 2005 he came back to Japan to take over as head chef of the Mandarin Oriental in Tokyo. As of 2009 onwards he's been working as a culinary producer for developments around the globe.