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Mr. Haruki Hirota has been enchanted by the charms of wine and has been working as a sommelier for a long period. Today, we will ask about how he started off as a sommelier, his present work at the newly re-opened French restaurant Florilege, and about his future endeavors.

JAPANTWO(JP2):Tell us how you got into the service industry.

Haruki Hirota (Mr. Hirota):I was taking oil painting class during my middle school and high school years, and I have always been enamored by France. After graduating from high school, I traveled to France to study painting as well as flower arrangement. I soon ran out of money, so I came back to Japan and started working at a restaurant. That's when I got into this service industry. I was originally planning to quit after I've saved some money but, I ended up working for around 10 years. At that time, I was young like other college students, who usually drank beer and shochu cocktails at izakaya pubs. But I knew quite a bit about wine, which kind of made me feel superior to them. Since then, I really got into wine and I went back to France to learn about it.

JAPANTWO(JP2):Could you tell us about your job?

Mr. Hirota:Now, I'm not just focused on wine but, I am involved in creating the dining ambiance, considering things such as tableware and space. I'm also thinking of utilizing my experience and getting involved in creating drinks. I'm not interested in mixing cocktails but creating something new by adding a particular essence to the drink. For example, I mixed coffee with wine and added katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) to draw out the flavors.

JP2:Could you share your thoughts on the re-opening of Florilege?

Mr. Hirota:The restaurant will become bigger with the re-opening, and I would like to create a team that can provide thorough and attentive service to our guests. Actually, the core members of the team are guys who I've worked with awhile ago. So I want to keep that team spirit while integrating the new members to make a great restaurant. Also, with the open concept kitchen, the chefs will be serving the dishes directly to the customers, so we'll have less work to do. As I just mentioned, I hope to get involved in new things, like creating drinks.

JP2:Tell us why you have started something new as cocktail pairing.

Mr. Hirota:There are tonnes of restaurants, bars, and places out there that serve wine. And when they have the same wine distributors, the drinks won't taste any different from one restaurant to another. To take a step further with the taste, you need to modify the drinks. Up until now, we have been 'selecting' the drinks. But our attempt to 'create' new drinks materialized into this present form. We present the drinks based on the dishes with our cocktail pairing. Drinks can be too bitter or tangy by themselves. Our goal is to match them with our chef's dishes so that they can mutually accentuate the tastes.

JP2:Do you do anything in particular for the customers to experience it?

Mr. Hirota:We just have new ideas and we tend to rely on visual arrangements which is quite superficial. Eventually, we would like to express everything in the content of the drink.

JP2:Let's shift a little and talk about the charm of Japanese wine.

Mr. Hirota:It obviously has its charms but we try to communicate that without relying too much on words. In order to do so, we need people to actually taste it. So, when we serve Japanese wine to foreign customers, we tend not to disclose the information before they drink it. It really makes me happy when I receive positive response from them and then informing them that it's made in Japan. Recently, we have a lot of customers ordering Japanese wine. In the future, I would like to be able to communicate the marvel of digestifs too.

JP2:The restaurant has expanded and the staff-size increased with the re-opening. Where do you want to go from here?

Mr. Hirota:I want to inform the new staff members with our customers' data so they can remember them. In addition, I would like to continue offering quality service to our customers. By doing so, our customers will be able to learn new faces, and even with its scale, the restaurant will have a cozy ambiance. I want to be like a bridge that links the customers with the new staff members.

JP2:What do you do on your days off?

Mr. Hirota:Most of my days off, I spend time with the guys in the team I've just mentioned. We go out to restaurants, hang out and drink. This year, it seems like there are fewer days we haven't seen each other than the days we have. We're always together. With them, we tend to scrutinize the tastes wherever we go, whether it's eating at a restaurant or drinking at a bar.

JP2:What's your motto working in the service industry?

Mr. Hirota:Concerning my job, I'm not interested in technical things, becoming famous, or getting promoted. Ideally, I want everyone to feel like they're coming to a house party. I'm not concerned about what's correct. So, my motto is to provide a fun atmosphere for my guests.