Vive las verduras

From the Orient - the tomato

Yoshiaki Takazawa, from the Aronia restaurant in Tokyo

The presence of Yoshiaki Takazawa was, for many delegates at the Conference, an introduction to the owner of one of the most exclusive restaurants in the world. In his Tokyo establishment, Aronia, there are just two tables seating a maximum of 10 people, who are served a menu consisting of a dozen apparently simple yet remarkably elaborate dishes. Why only ten people at the same time? Well, perhaps because to prepare his ratatouille - a Japanese style pisto that he brought to the Conference - he needs half a day. His cuisine respects seasonal produce, as dictated by the gastronomic canons of Japan where people are obsessed with fresh food. He seeks a cuisine that directly targets the senses, combining traditional and modern, Japanese and world food, and to achieve this he tries to get the maximum flavour from each of his vegetables - and the other ingredients - he uses to prepare his dishes.

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