Please tell me the reason why you became a chef?

Yoshinari Kikuchi (Kikuchi)

I had this vague idea of becoming a chef since junior high school, so I went to a culinary school after graduating high school. I didn't dislike cooking, and I loved to eat. Since my parents ran a restaurant, they were usually busy. So I used to get ingredients from the kitchen and cook simple things like omelet and stir-fry sausages and vegetables. In high school, I cooked myself lunch to take to school.

Why did you choose to pursue French cuisine?

Kikuchi

In the culinary school, their courses were divided in to Chinese, Japanese, and Western cuisine. I chose the Western cooking course because the teacher looked really cool to me. His apron, cook hat, and all these fancy French words like foie gras that I had never heard of before were all so fascinating to me, which is why I chose French cooking.

Perhaps you faced many obstacles after choosing to pursue a career as a chef from such fascinations?

Kikuchi

Yes, especially the first three years after I began working. It was my first time to earn money with me profession, and I didn't have any knowledge. Everyday was painful; I left very early in the morning and came home at midnight, and when I finally though I can rest I had to get up for the next day. Every morning on the train, I used to wish that the train would never get there. I felt like the unhappiest person alive. But from there, as I steadily improved year after year, I began to enjoy it little by little.

How long did you work at the first restaurant?

Kikuchi

I was there for three years and a half. Then, I went on an eating tour to France for three months. I thought about staying there to work, but I didn't know the language and I didn't have enough skills, so I came back to Japan and worked at another restaurant for about a year.

Then you went back to France to study?

Kikuchi

Yes. There, I worked at a different restaurant each year for four years. At the first restaurant to which I was introduced, I got fired in about three weeks because of my language inability. Then, I finally got a job at a restaurant that one of my elders introduced me to, while I struggled very hard to learn French. After my French improved, I was able to think act on my own unlike in Japan where I was doing things so as to not get scolded. I enjoyed working so much that I thought that France was a better place for me than Japan.

Did you think of pursuing you career in France?

Kikuchi

No, I didn't consider it. It was, indeed, a pleasure working in France. However, it is also a fact that I am Japanese, and I had a set a goal to back to Japan and become a chef at age 30. If I had a French girlfriend, I may have stayed.

So is this experience in France at the core of your restaurant today?

Kikuchi

Yes. The name Le Bourguignon comes from Bourgogne (Burgundy), which is where I spent my last days in France. At the restaurant where I worked at that time, I was given responsibilities and enjoyed time with friends, making it a memorable place for me.

What do you place importance on in running your restaurant?

Kikuchi

I, of course, place importance on the food, but I focus more on making it a place where my staff and customers enjoy being. Even though I scold my staff when necessary, we enjoy chit chatting and eating together and I make sure they get enough rest to establish a good relationship.

While people tend to be intimidated by the impression of French cuisine, is it something you take into consideration?

Kikuchi

It is true that compared to Italian restaurants, there is this tenseness in going to a French restaurant. However, I am grateful that people feel that way. Before going to French restaurants, for instance, they think, "what should I wear to the French restaurant?" I think it represents a certain expectation that people have for French food, and it is my job to think of how to satisfy those expectations.

In the case of my restaurant, there is a walkway leading to the entrance and usage of light colors as the theme, it shouldn't give too much of a stiff impression. The interior is quite cozy and it is rather loud, so I think even the first timers can feel comfortable.

It there anything that you are particular about in cooking?

Kikuchi

To me, the most important think in cooking is to make what makes others happy. Also, I place importance in expressing the season and the distinct atmosphere of French cuisine. Other than that, I try to maintain my own style in inventing new dishes. My customers would get confused if I suddenly came up with some innovative dish using new advanced techniques.

What is it that you consider to be your unique style?

Kikuchi

Through my food, I want people to feel France as much as possible. Every year, I say go to France for about two weeks and work at a popular restaurant. I try to incorporate what I learned there into my dishes. Compared to French food in Japan, those in France have a richer and stronger taste. However, since the Japanese tend to prefer lighter foods, I don't make them exactly as I learned in France and arrange it valuing my senses as a Japanese valuing light and delicate tastes.

How would you like your restaurant to be like in the future?

Kikuchi

Since I think that I already have a wonderful restaurant being blessed with wonderful staff members and customers, so I don't really think about how I would like for it to be like. I think that expanding the size of the restaurant would just water down the color of "Le Bourguignon". I want to be able to meet each one of my customers, so I want to keep this a place where I can connect and interact with those who come.

I can see that you value your relationship with those around you.

Kikuchi

Definitely. I even have a customer who had known me since I was 19, and came looking for me here. I don't think it would be possible to continue this restaurant without good relationships with everyone; the customers, farm producers, the landlord, my fellow cooks, of course, and even the neighbors. My staff sometimes receives cute gifts from an old man who is one of our neighbors. I am grateful for all the care and loving.

I think this applies to any kind of store, but one cannot run a business on his own. Not even without one. To keep the restaurant the way it is, besides keeping my customers happy and satisfied, I would like to make it so that the staff can establish a goal for themselves.