The pioneer of “Sakata French” rooted in a small port city, Masahiro Ota, a chef in the Port of Japan, the France cuisine West is surrounded by sea and mountain with Mt. Chokai in the North Sea, and Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture.

The Shonai region, located in Sakata City, is known as one of Japan leading areas of high quality produce.One of its rich ingredients, caught seafood in Shonai beach has been loved in the local for many years, it is a France dish called “Sakata French”. Masahiro Ota, the chief adviser at the restaurant of the department store in Sakata, is a pioneer of Sakata French.Growing up in Yokohama, Mr. OTA said, “Since his father was a chef of France cuisine, he is a natural flow” and goes on to the way of the cooks.When I experienced in Tokyo’s name shop, I met a businessman from Sakata and went to Sakata to launch “France-style local cuisine.”After that, I moved to Le ･ pot fu in the same city, but it was difficult to spread the France food in a land where Western culture was not permeated, and the beginning began to teach children to be able to use knives and forks.Afterwards, the fish which was landed at Sakata was made a main course dish, and the soup of the seafood which took it by the technique of France cooking was made to light seasoning, and it came to be accepted gradually by the citizens gradually.”Sakata French” infiltrated the Japan by the introduction of “Le ･ pot Fu” to novelist, Kaiko Ken and Marutani Saiichi, known as a foodie.”Sakata is not France food,” France-style local cuisine.The local ingredients are the main actors, “says Ota.

Mr. Ota, who is a member of the food capital Shonai, is a goodwill ambassador who communicates the food culture of the Shonai region to the young chefs through years of experience in technology and knowledge.We regularly hold tours and cooking classes for the production of ingredients, and work vigorously.He is also an adviser to the Shonai Dec Club, where chefs and sommelier gather in the Shonai region to learn and deepen their knowledge about cooking. “Experienced local chefs are teaching young people.The shop is different, everyone is interacting like a friend.The purpose is to level up all the restaurants in Shonai as well as my shop.In the coming time, I want visitors from all over the world to taste different specialties from each store, “says Ota. Recently, local farmers are actively producing vegetables of native species that have been passed down in Shonai for a long time, so they come to sell their restaurants.Ota’s activity has raised awareness of the food of the whole city.