In happy times and at the end of life.
To become a source of emotional support
Namiki-dori, Ginza 8-chome, near Shinbashi.
With only a small sign bearing the "MG" logo as a guide, you descend a long staircase just wide enough for one person to find a space with a 4m-high ceiling.
A variety of meat dishes, Tuscan fries, exotically seasoned dishes, etc.
Owner chef Toru Wachi has created unique signature dishes that go beyond French cuisine, even though his cuisine is based on it.
He is also known as a chef who travels the world, and is active in a wide range of fields, including television appearances, publishing recipe books, producing restaurants, and advising on food and regional revitalization.
Mardi Gras, which means carnival, will celebrate its 24th anniversary this September.
Let's take a look back at his journey so far and get closer to the real Kazuchi.
Wild boar tacos and impressive steak
We begin the interview by looking back on Kazuchi's life. Well, with nearly 40 years of experience as a chef and having traveled to over 30 countries, it feels like it's going to be a long one. We can see a selection of delicious-looking ingredients in the open kitchen. So, let's start by photographing the food (i.e., filling our stomachs). 
We asked Wachi to prepare two of his specialty meat dishes. The first dish was wild boar belly and shoulder loin confit delivered from MINEOKA GIBIER in Chiba Prefecture. It was then grilled to perfection and served as tacos. The salsa, which was generously topped on top so that the meat was barely visible, was made from organic vegetables from Kaze no Oka Farm in Saitama Prefecture, and the wheat flour used in the taco dough was also sourced from the same farm. Serving the dishes on a brightly colored plastic taco holder plate purchased in America is a playful touch that is typical of Wachi. 
The other dish is a steak made with sirloin from Nagomi Nosan 's "Nagomi no Kanade" Japanese Black Beef, a 500g block cooked in a frying pan.
"Bring it back to room temperature and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Many chefs avoid pepper because it can cause a burnt smell, but there's no problem if you add aromatic vegetables over medium-low heat and cook the first side with the lid on. Let it rest for the same amount of time as cooking, then finish using the residual heat."
Turn off the heat when the core temperature reaches about 55°C, and when it reaches about 60°C from the residual heat of the frying pan placed indirectly, it is ready to eat. With years of experience, I can tell the core temperature without using a core thermometer, but for the purposes of this interview I had someone measure it for me. 
"I was worried that it might be wrong, but thankfully it was. See, it's fine (laughs). Meat that is this thick is easier to grill; in fact, it's actually more difficult to grill thin meat perfectly."
Although wild and voluminous, "Wano Kanade" is characterized by its light fat, making it easy to eat without feeling heavy. In addition, the cherry tomatoes placed generously underneath the meat are fresh and have an excellent palate cleanser.
"They have red, yellow, and San Marzano types, and although they're small, they're delicious and have a rich flavor."
Returning from studying abroad in France, returning to France on a whim
Now that I've recharged my energy, let's begin the interview again. First, I'd like to ask you about your childhood.
"My father works in construction, my mother is a nurse, and I am an only child. Due to my father's work, we were born on Awaji Island, but we soon moved to Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. My father was often transferred to other places, so it was more like a single-parent household. Influenced by my modern mother, I learned oil painting and the violin when I was in elementary school. I still love drawing. I would occasionally go to Tokyo with my mother, and I would look forward to eating curry at Shinjuku Nakamuraya and having her buy me books at Kinokuniya Bookstore."
"I was just as good at sports as most people, like baseball, swimming, and tennis, but I was more interested in culture, like music, fashion, art, and theater. In junior high, I played bass in a band and hunted for used records, and in high school I was a member of the art club, drama club, and tennis club. Because of the nature of Tsukuba, there were many foreign university students and research students in the city, so I became interested in English and learned it from a Kenyan exchange student. I was treated to mutton stew and English tea, and my longing for other countries grew stronger."
antique british pendant light
He pondered how he could live abroad, and the answer he came up with was "to become a French chef." Since his primary goal was to go to France, he chose Tsuji Culinary Institute, which offers a French study abroad program, in his second year, and studied at the Osaka campus in his first year.
"I rented a two-tatami room in an apartment for 10,000 yen a month, which was extremely cheap even at the time. I worked part-time in the dessert department of a coffee shop, rolling soft serve ice cream and assembling meringue for Baked Alaska. I was able to use the cafeteria of the company that ran the shop, and the university students who lived in the same apartment often treated me to meals, so I kept my food expenses low and spent most of my earnings at clubs on the weekends. There was an entrance check, so I made sure to buy the right clothes. I was having a lot of fun, but I was also studying reasonably well at school."
He has been wearing glasses from Hakusan Megane since he was a teenager, and usually has about six pairs that he changes depending on the situation.
And so he finally made his way to France. The curriculum at the time consisted of studying at school for the first six months and training at a restaurant for the second six months. He enjoyed his studies at school and even traveled alone to Italy and Spain during the summer holidays. He loved learning languages and was a fearless person, so he actively tried to communicate using English, French, and his broken fluency in the local language, and was able to quickly become friends with strangers.
During the second half of his training, he was trained at Le Rempart, a one-star restaurant in Burgundy. He stayed in the owner's house and shared a room with French service staff, which allowed him to improve his French not only in the kitchen but also by interacting with them on a daily basis.
"I have only good memories," said Kazuchi, who returned to Japan after a year of experience, and in the same month, he also made a sudden return trip to France.
"I just wanted to live in France. I've always been the type of person who can't help but act on an idea I have. However, at the time I was on a tourist visa with a short validity period, so I looked for work from a cheap hotel. I was able to find a place to work through an introduction, but in the end I gave up and returned to Japan."
What I wanted to learn was humanity
In Japan, he was employed at Hiramatsutei (Restaurant Hiramatsu), where he was initially assigned to the confectionery department. He found it boring, as it consisted of measuring ingredients accurately down to the decimal point, but later on he said, "I got to know a world different from cooking, and I think it was a good experience."
Next came the service staff, dressed in black, who were valued for their ability to converse with foreign customers and take orders for fine wines and cheeses.
Furthermore, he continued to acquire skills in various fields in his 20s, including working as a chef at the sister Italian restaurant, Vinocchio.
"When I was 27, I trained at Vivarois in Paris for three months. What I wanted to learn wasn't recipes, but the way of thinking and humanity of the owner-chef Claude Perrault, his family, and his staff. Chef Perrault was a very gentle and affectionate person, and he had a deep appreciation for ingredients.
I was also impressed that the service staff were in charge of the shopping at Rungis Market. They have the same knowledge and discerning eye for ingredients as the chefs. They would exchange things like, "I got this great sole today," or "Shall we make a tourte?" Everyone, including the chefs, service staff, and customers, had built a healthy relationship, and that wonderful feeling has stayed with me."
Part 2 -----
After serving as the chef of Grape Gumbo, a restaurant that was one step ahead of its time, he opened Mardi Gras. He talks about his reasons for traveling the world and the ideals of restaurants.
