OTSUCHI, Iwate Prefecture--Well-known Japanese chefs are donning their aprons for a charity kitchen caravan program to create a little local culinary magic in the disaster-stricken areas in the Tohoku region.
OTSUCHI, Iwate Prefecture--Well-known Japanese chefs are donning their aprons for a charity kitchen caravan program to create a little local culinary magic in the disaster-stricken areas in the Tohoku region.
Masahiro Kurisu of Tankuma Kitamise, a traditional Japanese restaurant in Kyoto, was the first to prepare dishes using local ingredients at the caravan's first stop in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, on Nov. 29.
Kurisu and his staff prepared salmon dishes, including a miso-flavored salmon soup bowl for about 200 residents.
The recipe was given to restaurant staff at Oraga Otsuchi Fukko Shokudo (Our Otsuchi reconstruction dining hall), which was established and run by disaster survivors.
The caravan hopes to create a new specialty using local ingredients and give the recipe to residents so that Tohoku's culinary culture will be maintained.
The caravan is the brainchild of the Soul of Tohoku group, consisting of chefs and cooks from 40 renowned restaurants.
Participants include Yoshihiro Murata, chef at Kyo-kaiseki restaurant Kikunoi in Kyoto; Kihachi Kumagai of Kihachi; and Kiyomi Mikuni, owner-chef of the French restaurant Hotel de Mikuni in Tokyo.