Ossigeno

20 21 p o p - u p c h e f p o p - u p c h e f This is a text of few words; not so much for chef Yoji Tokuyoshi’s inner nature, as for neatness of his observations, precise and not very inclined to a relativistic vision of man, of his culture and his body. Yoji Tokuyoshi is the chef who set up his banquet between Italy and Japan, inviting two gastronomic traditions to their mutual discovery to give space to a third cuisine, a synthesis’ one, able to represent the tradition of a nation that formally still needs to be born: the cultural meeting nation. Which are common borders between Italy and Japan? These two cultures are very different from each other. Probably there are some elements in common, but they always depend on observer’s eyes and opinions. Personally, I find that a shared border lies in love for grandma's kitchen, in passion for tradition. What is the meaning of ‘multicultural society’, and how does it influence cuisine? A matter of fusion, or rather of meeting? When two cultures truly meet, a different one is born; this inevitably happens also in cuisine, one of the most important cultural indicators of a nation. In order to understand it, just think that we eat three times a day. In my opinion, there are few still mono-cultural places on earth: multicultural society will worldwide represent the future, with regard to food too. The importance of raw materials and their research. We also ask you for some interesting anecdote. Raw materials are so important that, little by little, I'm developing a food curation project: a person committed to researching, finding and bringing to our restaurant new particular ingredients, engaged in finding the best Italian products. In March 2018 I personally went to Valle d'Aosta to find a potato grower, in order to identify the best potato for one of my dishes. Raw material is the base. We can build any shape in cooking, but taste always depends on raw material. «I was born in Japan, but raised as a chef here in Italy. All my experiences translate into my contaminated cuisine , that is ultimately an effort for the birth of something new » YT In your opinion, what is the main value of Italian cuisine, highly appreciated abroad? From my point of view, it is familiarity and a certain kind of nostalgia. You feel part of the family that cooked for you. In Japan, imaginary of Italian cuisine remains constrained in pizza and pasta, however they are quite differently prepared, as opposed to combinations of ingredients found in Italy. For example, they season pizza with corn and bacon, or pasta with Japanese ingredients. In short, Japan's cuisine shape is very similar to the Italian one, but flavours are pretty far from the roots , from nostalgia, from familiarity. For sure, the hardest part lies in expressing real roots of one cuisine. What is the main source of inspiration for your creations? Basically I realize the plates I want to create, inspiring me and expressing what I wish to express. Feasibility is another matter... My inspiration comes from everything around me, from life, from what I see and, for one reason or another, remains fixed in my mind. What do you consider to be innovative in cooking, today and tomorrow? Both in the present as in the future, in my opinion innovation will lie in bringing fine cooking out of the restaurant. Such as for Massimo Bottura and his Refettorio² project: it is not about merely looking at what we are doing in our kitchens, but rather opening our eyes and fix our gaze towards society. Why should we have dinner at 7:00 pm? Actually, ideal would be at 6:00 pm; 7:00 pm just represent a step to meet western needs and habits… The reason why, it's all a question of health: for not going off to bed at a too close time to the last meal’s one. It is about health and respect for one's own body – thus, for one’s own well-being. Which is chef Yoji’s musical playlist? Jazz-based. Because I like it, because it inspires me. Because jazz always tells a story. Fermentation . What role does it have in your cuisine? How and where do you use it? At the moment, in my restaurant we are experiencing just one type of fermentation: it is a technique used for umami development… At the same time, I put parmesan crust into the stock, as traditional Italian cooking teaches! ² trans. refectory [for further information: www.foodforsoul.it]