Interview: Hideaki Sato on working with some of the best (and worst) chefs
The Japanese chef and sommelier, who opened Ta Vie restaurant in Hong Kong's Central district, talks to Bernice Chan about his rural upbringing, working at Michelin-starred restaurants and rediscovering his identity
"We lived in the countryside in [Japan's] Nagano prefecture. My grandmother had an apple orchard; she also grew cherries, pears, plums and vegetables. I often went to the forest to pick wild mushrooms and vegetables and I loved eating them because I picked them. As I was growing up, I wanted to be creative, like a pastry chef."
"At 19 I began working part-time in the kitchen of a small restaurant that cooked Western-influenced food. I found the job very interesting, making everything from scratch, even the desserts. That experience inspired me to learn more about French fine dining, but that meant going to Tokyo, which I did at 21. I found the city crowded and busy, and two years later went back to my hometown and started learning about Italian cuisine."
Review: eight-course tasting menu at Ta Vie
"I joined another restaurant to learn from a chef who had worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant. While his technique was good, he had a terrible temper, but I learned a lot. In the evenings, I went out to the dining room to serve guests and I became so interested in wines that I would buy two to three bottles a week to try. By 27, I got my sommelier licence in Japan.
"I also learned how to perfect my bread-making technique. I [later] worked for the Michelin-starred chef's friend whose restaurant was 60km from Tokyo. I spent five years there, in charge of wine. I worked in the kitchen from 5am to 11pm, making three kinds of bread every morning and preparing the mise en place. One year I went to France to learn bakery and pastry. I loved it. I applied to a few places [in France] but no one accepted me except one place that didn't have any Michelin stars. Their technique wasn't very good, but it made me realise I could do it better."
"Chef Yamamoto is a nice person, obsessed with his food and work. Every Saturday we finished service around midnight, and we would eat our meal. Then we would shoot videos, like the ones you see on YouTube.
"His creations are incredible. I had never seen anything like that before, avant garde at the time, but now more traditional. Back then I was interested in learning new styles, modern techniques. This also meant I had to learn Japanese cuisine. I started to think about my identity - I am Japanese - I'm not French, my customers are not French."
