WO’GOA
WO’GOA: It’s interesting to learn how Chef’s find their passion for cooking and where they grew up. Tell me more about your formative years and how did you find your way into the culinary field to became one of the most soughtafter Chefs! Kentaro Torii: My mother was fond of cooking and she cooked for us different kinds of cuisines, I grew up with her cooking and it interested me in the food firstly. When I was 16, my grandmother passed away, my grandfather was badly depressed and he had no appetite for a couple of month. At this age, I began to get interested in cooking myself so I tried to cook a dish of curry-rice (which is quite popular in Japanese family cooking) and it made him simply smile that we had not seen for long. It was the very first time I found the power of the food that brings happiness and joyful to the people, and I still can’t find any better job than chef. I’m proud of being a chef. WO’GOA: Taking you back when you moved to the city of Pavia, in Lombardy which is famous for its risottos and later moving to Sardinia learning from the best Italian chefs how did that experience help to form who you are as a chef today? Kentaro Torii: Italy is composed of 20 regions and all the regions have their own culture and cuisine. So it is important for the Italian chefs to study and understand the landscape, the food culture and the regional traditional foods. In Lombardy, I was taught the northern Italian cuisine, which does not use typical Italian ingredients such as tomato, olive oil, garlic, not even pasta, in fact there was only one pasta dish on the menu at the one Michelin star restaurant I worked for, against 6 types of risotto which were on the menu always. Making 5 and 6 risottos at the same time is not easy at all but it was great experience. In Sardinia, I was taught the importance of taking a balance between creativity and tradition because a style of my chef was so. It simply opened eyes of a 22 years old green boy and gave me a right direction and guidance to create my own cuisine. I spent some time in Veneto, Toscana, Sicily as well. I’m still studying regional food every single day and it will never ends. WO’GOA December 2015 -
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