We are pleased to introduce you to the winners of the "Gault et Millau 2023" Award Ceremony!

The restaurant guide "Gault et Millau" was born in Paris, France in 1972. Now published in 15 countries around the world, it is not just a book of ratings, but a publication that delves into a country's culture and communicates the "now" of its food by paying attention to the local terroir of the region. The comprehensive evaluation of not only the restaurants and chefs, but also the producers of the ingredients, etc., has earned the medium a high degree of trust. The magazine is especially noted for its "new talent spotting" and its proactive approach in identifying up-and-coming chefs.

First published in Japan in 2017, the 2023 edition is the first to include the Tohoku region, which is also featured in the magazine for the first time. The 2023 edition introduces for the first time 501 restaurants in Japan, including those in the Tohoku region, that you should visit now.

At the award ceremony held prior to the publication, 9 awards were presented to 12 chefs, sommeliers, patissiers, and students, including the Grand Chef of the Day and the promising young chef of the day.

The following is a brief introduction of the award winners!

Chef of the Year Award】
KANDA Hiroaki (Japanese Cuisine Kanda, Tokyo, Japan)

This year's Chef of the Year Award is presented to the chef who has demonstrated the most innovative, complete and impactful cuisine by demonstrating his/her talents in every aspect.

KANDA will move his own restaurant to ⻁SoHan_2F52↩ Hills in February 2022. In the Japanese space created by architect Hiroshi Sugimoto, he considers 10 years until his 70th birthday as a milestone, and pursues "delicate Japanese cuisine that is at the edge of sensitivity and taste" by subtraction. He is a leading figure in the Japanese culinary world as a chef in the NPO "FUUDO", a non-profit organization, where he is a chef who thinks about the future of Japanese cuisine.

I received my first Gault et Millau award in 1988, but it was in Paris and I was doing Japanese cuisine. I was the best in Asian cuisine, but I got 14 points for one toque (at that time). I thought I could do anything, but I was not good enough. I thought I had to go back to Japan and study again. Thirty-five years have passed since then, and I think my score is better than it was then, but I am very grateful for this award. I will continue to do my best.

The Grand Chef of the Day Award】
Yoji Komori (Chinese Cuisine, KUROMORI, Miyagi, Japan)
Daniel Calvert (French Cuisine, Sezan, Tokyo, Japan)

The "Grand Chef of the Day" award is given to a chef who has built his/her own culinary world on a solid foundation of skills and is expected to lead the Japanese culinary world as an outstanding talent.

After the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, Mr. Yamamori moved to Sendai, asking himself what he could do as a chef. He is also passionate about fostering the next generation of chefs.

I never thought I would receive such an award, but I am very honored to receive the "Grand Chef of the Day" award. It has been 12 years since I moved to Miyagi Prefecture in the year of the earthquake. I moved to Miyagi Prefecture 12 years ago, the year of the earthquake. Miyagi Prefecture is a place where there is a lot of great ingredients for Chinese cuisine, and I feel that my existence as a Chinese chef there has been recognized. I will use more and more ingredients from Miyagi to make Chinese food that can only be made in Japan.

Calvert has deepened his understanding of Japanese culture and ingredients by visiting all regions of Japan and has earned a reputation for his cooking techniques, which he learned in London, New York, Paris, and Hong Kong, as well as his sense of color and fine taste. He is a newcomer to the French culinary scene, shedding new light on Japanese ingredients.

Thank you ONODERA GROUP and Gault et Millau Japan for this honor. This award is a great confidence boost for me. I would also like to thank all the guests and my team for always coming to Cezan and supporting me.

The "Young Chef of the Year Award" goes to
Shota Iwai (Auberge Auf, Matsukawa, French Cuisine)
Tomoya Kodama (Acid Brienza, Tokyo, Innovative)

The "Young Chef of the Year" award is presented to up-and-coming chefs whose talent, passion and technique show great promise for the future.

In July 2022, chef ⽷i will become the chef of "Auberge Auf", a former low school building in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, which is now closed. He creates his own unique cuisine on a solid foundation of French cuisine, using ingredients from nearby forests and riversides. The award is not only for his cuisine, but also for his leadership in leading a young staff to work on a project to revitalize the local community.

This award is not awarded to one person alone, but to all the staff who work with us and to the team that has been involved in the project. I will continue to strive to live up to this award in all aspects of the restaurant and its cuisine.

Based on a foundation of French cuisine, Kodama has created a unique world of cuisine that utilizes the modern Nordic fermentation he learned in Denmark. Throughout the courses, he shows unexpected culinary developments with the "acidity" and "umami" of fermentation, and his overflowing creativity has attracted considerable attention.

I am very happy to receive this award because it is an award that I have been hoping to receive since the restaurant opened last June. I am very grateful to the owner, his staff, and his family. Thank you very much.

Transmission Award]
Koji Fukano (Restaurant Basque, Basque Cuisine, Hokkaido, Japan)

The Transmission Prize is awarded to chefs who have made a significant contribution to the transmission of their knowledge and skills, sometimes across countries and generations.

Inspired by the Basque culture where people enjoy walking, drinking and eating in a casual manner, Fukanami formed the "Hakodate Spain Club", which has since grown to become one of the most popular clubs in Hakodate. In 2009, he organized the "Culinary Society of the World in HAKODATE" as a representative of the executive committee. In 2022, the chefs' nave will be celebrating its 10th anniversary and Fukasano has been leading the Japanese culinary community in the exchange of cooking techniques and information.

When I opened my restaurant 38 years ago in the current location, all the food critics said the same thing: 'In three years, we will go out of business. When I opened this restaurant 38 years ago, all the food critics said the same thing: "If we had wanted to open this restaurant, we would have gone out of business in Tokyo. If you want to keep this restaurant, you should come to Tokyo. I went back to Spain to buy seeds for vegetables, and grew them without fertilizers or pesticides. As a result, we have received this award, and we are very happy to have received this award for our efforts.

Best Patissier Award]
Miya Enmeiji (Tokyo, French Cuisine)

The "Best Pastry Chef Award" is presented to the pastry chef whose desserts are particularly original and distinctive, and are a fitting end to a course meal.

Mr. Enmeiji has created a new appeal with his combination of full-bodied, delicate, and gorgeous desserts that incorporate culinary ingredients such as foie gras, which is not often used in desserts. He also supervises patisseries and is highly regarded for his production skills.

I am surprised at the award. I am grateful to all the customers who support "Emme", to the people involved, to the staff who love us, and to my husband and daughter. I will continue to do my best.

Best Sommelier Award]
Eiji Wakabayashi (French Cuisine, Esquis, Tokyo)

The Best Sommelier Award is presented to a sommelier who not only has knowledge of wine and the composition of the wine list, but also has excellent customer service skills and always conducts his/her service with a customer-oriented attitude.

Mr. Wakabayashi, as the general manager and sommelier of Esquis, combines the delicate flavors and aromas of Chef Lionel Beka's cuisine with his extensive knowledge and experience in wine marriage. Through TV programs and other means, we also propose food and beverage pairings. We have been highly praised for our efforts to convey the new pleasures that can be derived from matching food and drink in an easy-to-understand manner.

I am very happy. I have been a sommelier for about 35 years. I have been a sommelier for about 35 years and I always try to combine wines and beverages with excitement and to serve my guests in a way that makes them happy every day and that I hope will contribute to the future development of the food and beverage industry. As a sommelier, I think that without the person who makes the good food, the great wines and drinks, we would be nothing. My job is not to be a creator, but to combine and create a story, so I am very grateful to the many chefs, to those who have helped me, and now to Lionel (Beka) and Hugo (Pere-Galix). I am also grateful to the producers and winemakers of the wines we serve.

Best Service and Hospitality Award]
Mariko Inoue (Restaurant Uozen, Niigata, French Cuisine)

The "Best Service and Hospitality Award" is presented to the person who has developed a service in a restaurant or cuisine that leaves customers with a relaxing and deeply moving memory as the final point of contact that accurately conveys the restaurant's world view.

As madame and sommelier, Ms. Inoue provides a service that is "like welcoming guests into one's own home," and is renowned for her wine pairings to go with her unique course meals. She sometimes accompanies the chef on his fishing and wildflower gathering excursions, sharing her passion for sustainable food and experiencing firsthand the changes in the natural world.

We thank you for this award for a small restaurant in a rural area like ours. Service is a very important part of our job, as it connects our customers with the producers, with the people who make the products in Tsubame-Sanjo, where our restaurant is located, and of course with our chefs. We will continue to do our best to convey to our customers the pleasure of eating meals.

Tradition Award]
Kanetaro Sasaki (Japanese Cuisine, Toonoya Kaname, Iwaki)

The Traditions Award is given to a craftsman or chef who has preserved the traditions and culture of his region, sometimes taking on new challenges and tirelessly improving his knowledge and skills to pass them on to the next generation.

Sasaki believes that if we delve deeper into the culture of rice culture, we can compete with the rest of the world. In addition, the auberge attracts attention both domestically and internationally for its cuisine that combines the tasty flavors of traditional fermentation with casual ingredients such as those found along the paths between rice fields in the local area. In recent years, he has also taken up the challenge of making sake using rice bran, using all of the naturally grown rice to create the ultimate in quality sake. It is a great honor for us to receive this award.

I am very honored to receive this award. 21 years ago, we started out by growing rice and brewing doburoku (Japanese sake). I would also like to thank all of my team members. We have been working steadily for a long time to master the art of potatoes. I have decided once again that I will continue to work hard with my roots firmly planted in the ground.

Terroir Award】
Etsuo Asano (Chiba, Chef's Garden Eco Farm Asano)
Masayuki Okda (Yamagata, Al Quecciano, Italian Cuisine)

The "Terroir Award" is given to a student or chef who has tried to challenge himself/herself through his/her own ingredients or cuisine, while respecting the culture of the soil, the ingredients and the culture in which he/she was raised.

Asano strives to recreate the environment of the soil in which the vegetables are born, and his non-nutritive farming methods bring out the best in the vegetables themselves, earning him the trust of chefs and culinary professionals alike. In recent years, a test kitchen has been set up in the workshop, where harvested vegetables are tested at different temperatures. Even today, Mr. Asano is a "legend" of vegetable farmers, as he continues to try his hand at growing several new varieties of vegetables each year.

I have only been playing in the fields for 60 years, but I never dreamed I would receive such an award," said Asano. I would like to thank all the people who have been involved in this project, the chefs and everyone who has made this possible. I will continue to do my best from now on.

With the opening of Al Quecciano in 2000, Mr. Okuda was introduced as a chef who utilizes "terroir", a concept that was not widely known at the time, and has become an interesting and urgent topic of conversation amongst connoisseurs nationwide. The new restaurant, which moved in 2022, will serve as a base for "gastronomy tourism" to learn about the nature of the region, as well as a training ground for young chefs and local producers from all over the country, who will be able to learn about the products of the local nature and topography, and how to make use of them. In his exploration of the products that are taken from the nature and topography of the region and the cooking methods that make the most of them, Mr. Okugo has become a true "terroir evangelist".

When I first received this award, my first thought was that the culinary world had finally recognized my work. In 2002, there was a problem with unregistered pesticides in Yamagata Prefecture, and there was a period of time when products did not sell well. I realized that if you study light, soil, air and water, you can understand the land. When I visited the farmers, they told me many things, and when I understood the first fundamentals of cooking, I could see what I wanted to see. I asked the residents to please support me in my dream to make this town, this prefecture, a prefecture of good food, and they all said, "Well said. Let's do it. Tsuruoka City has gone from a town with nothing to a UNESCO culturally and culturally creative city, the number one tourist destination in the prefecture, and many other miracles. I think this award was given to me by the students of Yamagata Prefecture and the staff who have worked with me all these years and who have seen my dreams.

The interviews with the 12 winners of the above 9 awards are available only in this issue of "Go e Miyo 2023"!

We hope that you will become more interested in the ideas and beliefs of each of the award winners.

Go e Mijo 2023" is on sale today, March 15!

Go e Miyo 2023

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