Although it is far from the city and has poor access, it is constantly visited by people from Japan and abroad. Local restaurants based on local production for local consumption have been attracting attention for several years. One of the pioneers of this trend is Al Kecciano in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, which relocated and opened this summer. We asked Masayuki Okuda, the owner and chef who has made a new start, about his thoughts on the new restaurant.

A pioneering regional restaurant moves to a new stage

After 22 years of independence, the store with a long history was closed, and a new store opened on July 7 of this year.

On the 2,000 tsubo site, in addition to the restaurant "Al Kecciano" where you can enjoy courses using ingredients from the Shonai region such as seasonal vegetables, wild wild plants, and fresh seafood, there is also "Al Kecciano" which is newly equipped with a chef's table.・Academy opened. Here, Mr. Okuda offers the essence of Tsuruoka Italian cuisine for just 10 seats.

As the name of the academy suggests, there is also a laboratory kitchen where cooking classes using local ingredients are held. In addition to teaching the general public the secrets of Al Kecciano's flavor, there are also plans to hold a chef's school for young people to help them become world-class chefs.

Mr. Okuda was born and raised in Tsuruoka City, where Al Kecciano is located, where 60 types of native vegetables passed down from the Edo period, such as Dadacha beans and Atsumi turnips, as well as many modern vegetables are grown, and the city is also close to the sea. This is a fertile land where you can get as many as 138 types of fish depending on the season. In 2014, it was certified as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy and aims to become a gastronomic city.

``The food self-sufficiency rate has been an issue in recent years, but while Japan as a whole is only about 37%, Yamagata Prefecture alone has a self-sufficiency rate of 130%.What made Al Quecciano famous throughout the country is the abundance of food in this area. We want our customers to come from all over the world and give back to this region."

Regional revitalization and nurturing of future generations beyond the pursuit of gourmet food

True to his words, the new store will not only pursue gourmet food, but will also work closely with the local economy and focus on various initiatives to revitalize the gastronomic city of Tsuruoka. One of them is food tourism.

"In order to support the tourism industry, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, we have a parking lot that can accommodate large buses, and we are also considering various plans with travel agencies, such as tours that include cooking classes."

However, some chefs may have a negative reaction when they hear the word tourism. Some people may think that it doesn't matter if not everyone understands.

``It's true that if you're particular about your cooking, you might want it to be eaten only by people who understand it.But for me, it's completely my fault that many people can't understand it.This flavor... It's my fault for not being able to properly communicate this to my customers."

In his book ``Yuderon,'' which I introduced in the first part, he explains in detail how to infer the taste of guests who visit the restaurant based on their facial expressions and age, and how to incorporate this into the taste. The underlying idea is not to provide one-way food, but to entertain guests with dishes that resonate with them and convey the wonders of local ingredients.

As he puts into practice in his book, Mr. Okuda says that he wants to openly communicate all of his cooking philosophies, from recipes to his techniques and way of life as a chef.

"People tend to want to reveal things because they try to make it their own.Also, if you worry too much about what critics think, you'll end up asking too much of your staff for the same things you do, or you won't let your subordinates cook for you." If you follow your own dreams, the people around you won't grow, and they won't want to follow you in the first place.There's no point in working at all. We nurture each other and make everyone involved happy.We nurture young people from all over the country, and then they disperse to Japan to achieve their dreams. (Laughs) I want Al Kecciano to be a place like that."

Al Kecciano’s challenge to connect to the future

In addition, the chefs process primary products such as vegetables and meat brought in by producers in the store's processing room. We are also implementing initiatives to use and sell the products produced by Mr. Okuda at stores across the country. By implementing “sixth industrialization,” which combines agricultural and livestock product production (primary industry) with manufacturing and processing (secondary industry) and service industry and sales (tertiary industry), new local primary industries will be created. This creates added value and supports producers to maintain their economic livelihood. There are also plans to open an auberge in the future.

"We have already prepared the space. We would like to support the local industry and create it together, even if it is in an unfinished form."

The new store has particularly large windows that offer a view of the magnificent Mt. Gassan overlooking the Shonai Plain and the beautiful green countryside. As you sit down to the table and taste each dish brought before you, you will surely realize that you are receiving the blessings of this land.

“Al Kecchiano” is a Shonai dialect saying, “(It’s all here).” The name originally meant that the most delicious ingredients could be found here without having to go all the way to order them from far away, but it is no longer just about the abundance of ingredients.

The new Al Kecciano is a place where Mr. Okuda has everything he pursues: the ideal of a restaurant, the way of life as a chef, and the future of the local area.