Yoshihiro Narisawa

Yoshihiro Narisawa is the chef-proprietor of two-Michelin-starred restaurant Narisawa in Tokyo, Japan. Narisawa’s father was a confectioner and the kitchen became his playground until, at the age of 19, he travelled to Europe to train with renowned chefs such as Joël Robuchon and Paul Bocuse. Returning to Japan in 1996, Narisawa opened his first restaurant, which – combining classical French cooking techniques with a poetic use of Japanese ingredients – received instant critical acclaim. Narisawa is known for his reverence for organic, seasonal ingredients and has won awards for his commitment to sustainability and conservation. He dishes experiment with ‘true’ Japanese ingredients (tree sap, sea snake, wild herbs and flowers…) via innovative cooking techniques (such as charred, carbonized vegetables used in seasoning), which create a haiku-like dining experience putting guests ‘under the spell of the season.’