Tokyo’s Maestro of Fine Dining - Meet Natsuko Shoji
THE ULTIMATE FINE DINING EXPERIENCE
Fine art pairs strangely well with fast food. From the bizarre 4-minute footage of pop artist Andy Warhol consuming a Burger King Big Whopper to the most recent guerilla advertising by Muji designer Naoto Fukasawa and fast food franchise McDonald's, a modern take on an everyday meal for the masses has been done before.
Photo by ifucktokyo
Oddly enough, however, fine dining is a genre that remains untouched. One person challenging the status quo by taking a contemporary twist on the classic dining experience is the owner of restaurant été, Natsuko Shoji. Winner of many accolades including both Asia’s best female chef in 2022 and Asia’s best pastry chef in 2020, Natsuko’s dishes are not only a pure delight to the mouth but also to the eye. Frequently collaborating with Tokyo-based artists including the likes of legend Takashi Murakami, graffitist Madsaki and now contemporary artist Verdy, she is breaking boundaries by fusing street culture with fine dining; an amalgamation we never knew we needed until now.
Alongside the many aforementioned accolades she has won, in September last year, her dedication to the interdisciplinary fields of food and art paid off as she was selected among one of the 100 best chefs in the world and awarded with the Food art award in Madrid, Spain, elevating her to newer and higher levels.
Andy Warhol eating a Burger Kind Whopper
For the impressive reputation and name she has made for herself, Natsuko’s career has humble beginnings.
Starting out as an apprentice to Florilege owner and chef Hiroyasu Kawate at just 19 years of age, Natsuko always strived to be the best. Being caught up in the everyday hustle and bustle, however, she came to the shocking revelation that her father had suddenly passed away without her noticing. This occurrence was a pivotal point in her career, allowing her to realize she needed to change lanes in order to spend more time with her family and loved ones. Taking a much-needed hiatus from the kitchen and gaining back the motivation to continue her culinary career from her peers, she opened her first reservation-only exclusive restaurant in the middle of Aoyama at just 23.
Chef Natsuko at Asia’s 50 Best Awards taken by Aya Kawachi
This unique luxury offered by chef Natsuko comes with a price; however, some will say a justifiable one. Located in the quaint neighborhood of Yoyogi Uehara, her restaurant offers an exclusive one-and-only experience as the private space is limited to one group of guests up to 4 people each day. Yet this exclusivity may be one of the many reasons why her 11-course masterpiece is turning heads in the culinary world. Not only are the guests treated with top-tier service or ‘omotenashi’, but the attention to detail placed on every dish is exquisite and the presentation, visually stunning. Not only this, ingredients are sought out to suit the season, fresh produce is bought straight from Tsukiji fish market, fruits such as peaches and muscat grapes are sent from Okayama, and wine is handpicked from Californian vineyards.
Collaboration with Takashi Murakami taken by Tsuyoshi Ogawa
From her early sou chef days, opening up her first restaurant to collaborations with renowned artists, she opens up to Sabukaru for an exclusive interview.
HI NATSUKO-SAN, THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. BEFORE YOU FOUNDED YOUR OWN RESTAURANT, ÉTÉ YOU WORKED IN ‘FLORILEGE’, A FRENCH TWO MICHELIN-STAR RESTAURANT OWNED BY CHEF HIROYASU KAWATE. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO START COOKING FRENCH CUISINE IN JAPAN?
The high school I was in at the time had a food department, allowing students to get a cooking license upon graduation. Obviously, during class, we would have time for training and that’s when I started getting into Italian food. But my teacher told me that if I master French cuisine, I would be able to master all cuisines because, on a technical level, French is one of the hardest, requiring a lot of different skills and techniques. As a high schooler, I guess I just nodded in respect and went along with it. Hiroyasu Kawate is also an alumnus of the same school as I was from so that was also an aspect that came into play when deciding where to work.
Photos by Aya Kawachi
DID YOU HAVE AN ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET FROM THE START OR WAS IT SOMETHING THAT CAME GRADUALLY?
No, not all. Florilege is one of the best restaurants in Japan so I was planning to stay there and had no plan of quitting. But my father passed away when I was working there and due to my hectic schedule, I wasn’t able to see him before his passing let alone take care of him. That’s when it dawned upon me that I might do this to my mother as well and I actually quit working at Florilege because I was going to stop being a chef. The reason why I came back was because a former colleague of mine from Florilege asked me to create a cake for his wedding. When I saw everyone complimenting the cake, it made me realize how nice it is to see people enjoying the food that I create for them. That’s when I decided to give cooking another shot. But Florilege is a world-class restaurant so out of respect to the chef and also the industry, I couldn’t just leave and find another gig at a different restaurant. So I ended up founding my own.
SPEAKING OF WORLD-CLASS, WHEN YOU YOURSELF STEP INTO A RESTAURANT, WHAT MAKES YOU BELIEVE IT IS ‘THE BEST OF THE BEST’ ?
When a restaurant really cares about its customers and can be flexible when accommodating them. Some customers need a detailed explanation of the menu, others don’t. Customers won’t say their preferences out loud, so it’s important for the staff and the chef to understand their needs without them telling you upfront. I like restaurants like that because it makes you feel more welcomed and hence comfortable.
Photos by Aya Kawachi
WHEN CREATING A COURSE MENU, WHAT IS THE KEY TO MAINTAINING BALANCE BETWEEN ALL OF THE DISHES?
I don’t actually follow the rules in that sense. Of course, there are basics when creating a course menu but I usually cater to my client's tastes or needs when creating the dishes, getting a feel of what they would like to eat and what kind of guests they are. Are they customers who like to engage in conversation or are they people just here for the food? Do they just want to get a snap of my food for the status? So I change it up accordingly, sometimes creating 11 dishes, at times maybe 9 or 12. To be honest, as a chef you always do want to serve dishes that harmonize with one another but I don’t necessarily think that’s the most important part of my food. I don’t focus on rules you know?
Photos by Aya Kawachi
CREATIVE PROCESSES CAN REALLY DIFFER ACCORDING TO THE ARTIST. FOR EXAMPLE, SOME SINGERS START WRITING THE LYRICS TO THE TRACK, OTHERS WILL START WITH THE BEAT. WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS LIKE WHEN CREATING A DISH?
I think it really depends on the dish. For my Fleur de été cakes, they were fashion-inspired so I visualized them first. I really liked the pattern on Chanel Matelasse bags so it is designed similarly to that. But I actually create dishes not because I like the process of creating them but because I like to see the joy and reaction that people have when tasting my food. So I have a process but I can’t say I enjoy it. I more so create because there is an audience and people to serve.
YOU’VE ALREADY ATTAINED ASIA’S BEST FEMALE CHEF AND ASIA’S BEST PASTRY CHEF BUT DO YOU HAVE FURTHER GOALS YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE IN THE FUTURE?
Photos by Aya Kawachi
I want to earn the title of the World’s best female chef. It’s obviously flattering when you get an independent award like this but it raises the question of why we need to put a title on it as the best ‘female’ chef. Why can’t it just be the best chef? Why isn’t there an award called best ‘male’ chef? I’ve come to realize that this is because there are very few of us of the same caliber so we have to put a label on it like such. The awards I have won have enabled me to spread awareness on this issue so hopefully, there will be more female chefs prominent in the future and the number of male and female chefs will become equal. If this is achieved we can abolish ‘best female chef’ and make an award for just ‘best chef’. That is my goal; to get closer to having no division between genders and being judged by pure talent.
TO WIN THE TITLE OF WORLD’S BEST FEMALE CHEF, IS THERE A CERTAIN CRITERION THAT NEEDS TO BE MET?
On this scale, it actually becomes not just about the food but the all-around package. You need to have influence both within and outside of the industry, as well as have the capability to promote yourself on how much social impact you have, etc..whether you can tell your story in the right voice and correct light matters greatly.
Photos by Aya Kawachi
I CAN IMAGINE THAT YOUR DAILY SCHEDULE IS NOT FIXED AND THERE IS SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY BUT CAN YOU TAKE ME THROUGH SOME OF THE THINGS YOU DO ON A REGULAR BASIS?
When I was still a sou chef, a lot of prep was involved. Obviously even now, it is very important to be in the kitchen but I also dedicate my time to thinking about how to support the younger generation and also catering to my loyal clientele. So I spend a lot of time with people involved in my restaurant, prepping, planning collaborating, training, and executing.
Photos by Aya Kawachi
YOU’VE COLLABORATED WITH A LOT OF JAPANESE ARTISTS INCLUDING TAKASHI MURAKAMI, MADSAKI AND VERDY. ARE THERE ANY OTHER ARTISTS YOU PLAN ON COLLABORATING WITH?
Ongoing collaborations with artist Verdy taken by Tsuyoshi Ogawa
Well, it’s always fun to collaborate with new people but for now, I want to concentrate on continuing my relationships with these existing collaborators and producing new dishes with familiar faces. Ideally in the future, I want to reinvent the chef uniform for younger generations. In the past, you weren’t allowed to change it up because society thought that it was shaped like that for a reason but times have changed. Some kids want to become pilots because they envision themselves inside the plane in their uniform right? Some girls want to go to certain high schools because they like the school colors. So that’s why uniforms matter because it builds a certain vibe. Ideally, I want to recreate it with a brand that resonates with young people too.
Ongoing collaborations with artist Verdy taken by Tsuyoshi Ogawa
DO YOU MIND ME ASKING WHICH BRAND YOU WOULD LIKE TO CREATE THE NEW CHEF UNIFORM WITH?
Nike. That’s because chefs are also athletes. It takes discipline and daily training to serve out something high quality so the kitchen is our playing field, our courtyard. I also thought about collaborating with a high-end designer brand but then I realized that finding a brand that is affordable and resonates with youth is quite hard. So considering all of these factors tied in with the message I wanted to convey, a tie-up with a sports brand sounded perfect. And why not with a brand that I really like to top it off?
Collaboration works with Graffiti artist Madsaki. Photo by Aya Kawachi
IT IS ALSO INTERESTING HOW YOUR FOOD IS IN THE FINE DINING CATEGORY YET YOU OFTEN COLLABORATE WITH BRANDS THAT ARE MORE CASUAL. IS IT INTENTIONAL OR SOMETHING MORE NATURAL?
It is entirely intentional because by collaborating with more ‘street style’ artists, people who never gave any attention to fine dining our now interested in our content and that says something. If I was just creating ‘fine dining’ food, I probably wouldn’t have caught the eyes of Hypebeast and even SABUKARU. Media outlets and companies who never thought of featuring chefs are now intrigued and that’s because I’m doing something a bit different. This article will hopefully open up someone’s eyes to a whole new industry, triggering their interest in a field they never knew existed. ‘Food and Drink’ needs to step out of its category.
A QUESTION REGARDING CLIMBING THE LADDER IN THE CULINARY WORLD. SOME CAREERS REQUIRE A DEGREE TO EARN RESPECT AND EXPERIENCE, OTHERS DON’T. WHICH CATEGORY WOULD COOKING FALL UNDER?
It doesn't really matter, to be honest. However, how much training you do does matter. So from a social perspective, no one really cares if you’ve been to culinary school but I do believe you need to study different methods and techniques, and train in various restaurants to gain experience and perseverance.
TO YOUNG CREATIVES, ARTISTS, AND EVEN ASPIRING CHEFS, DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE?
Photo by ifucktokyo
I’m still trying to make a name for myself so I don’t know if I’m in a position to give advice to people. But say if there are two girls who want to become professional dancers and there is one who only practices during her lessons, and one who dances day in and day out. Obviously, the girl who lives and breathes dance will get better. I believe that is the same with everything else. It depends on how much of your life and time you are willing to sacrifice in order to achieve your dream. And this might sound simple but there are actually only a handful of people who have the capability or the will to go to these extreme lengths. If you can master this, hard work will one day surpass talent.
WELL SAID. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING NATSUKO-SAN!
All photos of Natsuko Shoji by ifucktokyo
All other photography by Aya Kawachi
About the author:
OL [Office Lady] in the day, SABUKARU member by night, Ayana is a Japanese writer tackling controversial and oftentimes misunderstood social topics in the realms of modern-day Nippon.
