Finding new value in unfamiliar ingredients not on the market

• The one-Michelin-starred Restaurant Sola in Paris has opened its first Japanese branch in Bay Side Place Hakata. The array of creative dishes at this open-feeling eaterie overlooking the ocean are painstakingly crafted by owner-chef Hiroki Yoshitake.
　
• Says Yoshitake: “A thirty-minute drive away from Fukuoka you’re in the countryside with access to really fresh ingredients. I buy stock from Itoshima once every two days. I can get hold of ingredients you don’t see on the market, and unusual ingredients I’ve never seen before. If you have the skills, you can find new value in these ingredients by making them into menu items. Our aim is to put our experiences overseas to good use and create a cuisine that only we can produce.”
　
• The creative and artistic aspect to a chef’s work is highly regarded in France, he notes, adding that these aspects necessitate a sense of daily fulfillment on the part of the chef.
　
• “Staff at our restaurant here overlooking Hakata Bay really enjoy their time off and remain stress-free because the place is ideal in terms of city size, space and rent. Looking to the future, we’ve set up a fully-equipped large kitchen behind our open kitchen space, so I’d like to get creative with local ingredients and eventually take the concept to other parts of Asia, not just Japan.”
• We’ll be keeping an eye out to see how Fukuoka’s ingredients evolve in the capable hands of chef Yoshitake.