September, 2006

　The most notable chefs and service staff in France to visit Japan.
“Japanese Culinary Fellowship”
to be held
in Kyoto and Osaka.

　 The “Japanese Culinary Fellowship” will be held from this October 29 (Saturday) to November 6 (Monday), at long-established first-class Kyoto restaurants and Osaka’s Tsuji Group School.

　 Chefs Pascal Barbot, Jacques Decoret, and Sebastien Bras are all coming for the Fellowship. The chefs have received high appraisal not only in France, but all over the world, and are said to be the leaders of the next generation of cuisine. This time, not only chefs are attending the Fellowship, but also service staff, and several international award-winning food journalists.

　 They will study not only in the kitchen, but will take a multi-lateral approach to studying Japanese cuisine, visiting Tenryu-ji Temple to learn zen and the tea ceremony, studying classical Japanese fine arts, and touring a sake brewery, vegetable farms, and a cattle ranch for luxury Omi beef. In addition, participants will visit producers of such Japanese foods as miso and tofu. The participants will be able to gain a deeper understanding of background of food climate and culture, as well as of Japanese cuisine.

　 The main characteristic of this Fellowship is the opportunity for French chefs and young Japanese chefs to learn from each other. The French chefs, from their respective points of view, will learn and master the characteristics of Japanese cuisine as it is prepared in Japan. At the same time, the Japanese cooks who meet with the French chefs will themselves reconfirm the nature of Japanese cuisine. Finding new culinary possibilities is another important purpose of the fellowship.

　 On November 5, there will be a public workshop. What kind of Japanese cuisine will three chefs on the cutting edge of French cuisine prepare? In addition, Japanese and French chefs, journalists and scholars will share their opinions about the “commonalities and peculiarities of French and Japanese cuisine”. There may never be another opportunity for members of such importance to meet in Japan again. Not only chefs, but also academic researchersand the general public will participate and exchange Japanese and French food cultures.

　 Thank you for your cooperation in helping the Japanese Culinary Fellowship to take place.