The day Nishinakasu's famous restaurant made its world debut

It has become a familiar sight that when many young chefs gather for events such as the ``Asia's Best Restaurant'' ceremony, this person is always nearby watching over them with a smile on their face. Sometimes, he calms everyone down by saying things like, ``Okay, everyone, please stop talking and look at the stage.'' He seems to be leading the group. ``My fellow chefs call me 'senior-san,''' says Chef Tsuyoshi Fukuyama, whose shy manner suits him. There are several Michelin-starred restaurants in the Kyushu area, but Fukuyama is the only one that has been ranked as one of Asia's best restaurants, and has continued to attract attention as a restaurant with a unique presence.

However, what is important to him is not those laurels. No matter how well-known we become worldwide, our goal is to continue to be loved by local customers and have them enjoy our food. Up until now, I've been honest and focused on that.

“About 15 years after we opened our restaurant in Nishinakasu, we were suddenly ranked as one of Asia's best restaurants.At that time, I didn't really understand what that meant, but after 15 years... I felt like it was a small reward for the fact that it had been filling up for a long time." However, this time marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Fukuyama store.

How a veteran chef opened his door to the world

Fukuyama doesn't actively check the media much, as he has been constantly standing in the kitchen since high school. I'm the type of person who keeps going to the stores I like, and I don't go to research popular stores one after another. To be honest, Fukuyama, who is shy, was not good at the collaborative events with chefs from other countries that he has recently started participating in from time to time. The turning point came in an unexpected way.

``For some time now, we have had a customer from Shanghai who eats at our restaurant several times a year.I don't usually go out for drinks with customers, but this customer has become a regular customer. By chance, I ended up going out to eat there. That's when I heard about what was going on in the gastronomy world in Asia, and for the first time I became interested."

The following year, I actually went to Shanghai and had a meal at the much-talked-about ``Ultra Violet.'' Sitting with me at that time was Gagan Anand, the chef of Bangkok's ``GAGGAN,'' which went on to win the number one ``Asia's Best Restaurant'' award four years in a row. The two tough guys, who love bright and delicious food, hit it off, and from there they developed a close friendship, but at the same time, Fukuyama began to see the city he loved from a different perspective. .

``I grew up in Yasu Town (now Chikuzen Town) in the inland area of ​​Fukuoka Prefecture. I love and am proud of Fukuoka, and I love the customers here. That's why I continue to create food with that in mind. I enjoyed it, but when I learned that Gaggan, who is from India, was making modern Indian cuisine for the world in Bangkok and was receiving praise, I thought, Wow, this is a strange way to reward people. I'm afraid that if I stand out, I'll be rejected by the local customers, so I'm just timidly taking on small challenges over and over (lol)."

Chef Fukuyama has announced that he will be putting an end to his long-running restaurant and opening a new restaurant in Fukuoka in partnership with Gagan Anand in the near future. There is only a short time left to enjoy the "graduation production" of "La Maison de la Nature Gou". It's making a lot of hoodies nervous.

Takeshi Fukuyama

Born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1971. He began his career in French cuisine in high school, and after training at Fukuoka's ``Ile de France'' and ``Mercury Cafe,'' he opened his own restaurant, ``La Maison de la Nature Gou,'' in Nishinakasu in 2002. In 2016, it was ranked as one of Asia's Best Restaurants for the first time. He plans to close the store by the end of 2020 and open "GohGan" next year with Bangkok chef Gagan Anand.

La Maison de la Nature Goh

26-XNUMX Nishinakasu, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture

092-724-0955

18:00 ~ 24:00

Closed on Sundays

Dinner 6,000 yen, 8,000 yen

*Tax and service charge not included

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