— Since his teenage years, Mr. Wachi has been strongly interested in overseas cultures and has acted on his curiosity. This spirit remained unchanged even after opening his own restaurant, leading him to delve deeper into the world of food.
Always Wanting to Learn, No Matter the Age
After serving as chef for a year at Apollinaire, a casual, large-scale new restaurant of the Hiramatsu Group, he left the company and became chef at "Grape Gumbo" in Ginza in 1998. The owner, the late Shinsaku Katsuyama, selected wines from around the world, and the background music consisted of his favorite 70s rock, jazz, and blues. In line with this, Mr. Wachi also created dishes incorporating tastes from various countries using spices and seasonings. Looking back, it was a quite groundbreaking restaurant.
Three years later, when he opened "Mardi Gras" independently, he offered dishes that continued from the Grape Gumbo era, such as pintxos, charcoal and wood-fired grilling, and tagines, all before they became popular in Japan.
Before opening each restaurant, Mr. Wachi would travel to New York and Europe for about a month to eat his way through them. He was so quick on his feet that he was on a plane to France the day after leaving Grape Gumbo.
At that time, he relatively often ate at trendy restaurants in various countries, but later, he began to seek out rare ingredient production areas and more profound indigenous dishes, expanding his travel destinations to Central and South America, Asia, and other regions. The same applied to domestic travel.
"Now, I want to go to the Highlands of Northern Scotland to eat Highland cattle, and I want to learn about fermented foods in Myanmar. It's impossible now, which is a shame, but I also wanted to experience the food cultures of Russia and Ukraine directly."
A great lover of cooking tools. This is a petty knife forged in Tottori, with a wild cherry handle. He waited a year for its arrival.
"I also like to buy thin recipe booklets sold at local kiosks. They're interesting because you learn about the everyday food life of that region. Oh, when I went to the West Coast of America, there was a charcuterie professional who had my book. For someone like me who has been buying foreign books for a long time, that was truly a happy moment."
Mr. Wachi does not intend to reproduce or popularize what he gains from his travels in Japan. With his extraordinary curiosity and investigative spirit, he simply wants to go to the original or source places, see, eat, and feel them. After accumulating and mentally digesting these experiences, a Mardi Gras-style dish is born, or he provides advice in various fields, from primary industries to restaurants in Japan.
"As I get older, I tend to teach others, but I want to cherish the desire to keep learning and wanting to know, no matter my age. Travel is the best way to gain that, and if I were to become reluctant about it, that would be a warning sign that 'I'm in trouble.'"
Sealing Away the Famous French Fries
Before COVID-19, he used to go abroad twice a year on average. Not only during the restaurant's holidays, but sometimes he would leave the restaurant in the care of others. Wasn't he worried?
"Famous chefs of renowned restaurants around the world aren't always in the restaurant. A restaurant operates as a team, and I don't think the owner-chef needs to make every single dish. However, that's only possible if you have staff you can rely on. If I don't have them, I can't go abroad."
"I feel that chefs of the 'Yutori generation' (a generation educated under relaxed curriculum guidelines) are not only unaccustomed to strictness but also struggle with multitasking. There's also a tendency for them to jump straight into the world of creative dishes without knowing the basics, but that will cause problems later. How to convey and nurture them is a big challenge for me."
During the Grape Gumbo era, inspired by the essay on french fries in "The Perfectionist" (by Jeffrey Steingarten), he devised "Tuscan French Fries," which became incredibly popular at Mardi Gras. This dish involved lightly dusting potatoes with strong flour and slowly frying them with herbs. Later, he went to a restaurant in Lucca, Tuscany, the origin of the dish, and found that his own recipe was crispier, making him confident in its deliciousness. However, he removed it from the menu about 15 years ago.
"Every day, orders came in from all tables, but I didn't want to cling to that popularity, so I deliberately sealed it away. However, I did offer it for takeout during the pandemic. I'm now thinking it might be interesting to bring it back as a limited-time menu item every September, the month we opened."
During the pandemic, he initially offered takeout sales of items like hamburgers and Tuscan French fries. While many restaurants ventured into unfamiliar takeout, and some showed inadequate measures against food poisoning, he took meticulous care and stopped before summer. The restaurant primarily served Western dishes such as cutlets and beefsteaks. He said, "I thought that since people were feeling anxious, the mellow taste of Western cuisine might offer some comfort."
He reevaluated and refined his sauce espagnole, switched from grated baguette crumbs to those used by famous tonkatsu restaurants, and selected tableware suitable for Western cuisine from a nearby folk craft store. Although it was financially difficult, he tried various things.
Cuisine and Service That Resonate with Feelings
—— What makes a "delicious" restaurant for you?
"It's a place that serves as a 'refuge for the heart.' In an era where 'looking good' takes precedence, creators are forced to be conscious of it, but I feel that such dishes often lack a certain warmth. They may be beautiful to look at, but they don't convey warmth to the heart. I'm not talking about cold or hot dishes, but the warmth of emotion.
On the other hand, self-indulgent dishes where the chef imposes their will can also be a bit tiring for the diner. I'm attracted to restaurants that offer dishes and service that resonate with such feelings—where friends can enjoy conversation over food, or couples can express their love —— and I want my own restaurant to be like that."
I also asked him if he had ever cried at work. I had expected tears of frustration during his training or tears of joy from success, but Mr. Wachi's answer was unexpected.
One day, someone who was near the end of their life chose Mardi Gras for their last supper. With strict limitations such as no salt or sugar, he made various efforts, such as making broth from mushrooms, to ensure they could taste some deliciousness. At that time, he said he cooked while holding back tears.
Sometimes, chefs also play a role in supporting people's lives.
