An interview with Yuka Okubo, chef of "Tsukiichi Restaurant: Enjoy the Seasons"

Yuka Okubo is the chef of Liberta La Cucina in Mochigase-cho, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture.
He will be in charge of cooking at the newly opened " Monthly Restaurant to Enjoy the Seasons " at greeniche Yonago store, a special restaurant open once a month.

Okubo-san has a lovely smile and a warm atmosphere.
What are the roots of his delicious cuisine that focuses on ingredients? We will explore the various charms of Okubo, including his lifestyle and work.

-Once again, thank you for your support and cooperation with " Monthly Restaurant to Enjoy the Seasons "!

Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity.
I had known about Greenwich for some time, when I purchased furniture from them for my shop, Liberta La Cucina, which opened in July of last year, and I'm happy to be able to do something new together like this.

-Yonago store manager Furukawa visited the store three times to deliver products. He was so impressed by Okubo's wonderful food and hospitality that he started this project (" A monthly restaurant to enjoy the seasons ").
Could you tell us about the roots of your cooking?

I think the food at the restaurant is based on my mother's cooking. It's not stuffy and the food is comforting, like eating at home.
My mother loved cooking, and was very good at using seasonal ingredients she received from her neighbors to create interesting adaptations based on recipes from cookbooks and magazines.
Since we both worked, my father often cooked as well.
I grew up watching my mother and father enjoy cooking, so I naturally developed a love for cooking too.
When I became a junior high school student, I started making my own lunch.

-That's amazing! When I was in junior high school, I had club activities and other fun things to do, so I didn't feel like making my own lunch.

Rather than something I "had to do," I enjoyed cooking and made it myself. I was also involved in club activities such as volleyball and field hockey, but I also enjoyed cooking just as much. My younger sister also made her own lunch and brought it to school.
I think it was my parents' influence that helped me to see cooking as fun, rather than just housework. I have fond memories of cooking with my mother and father.

-You've been interested in cooking since you were a child. How did you get into cooking?

After getting my nutritionist qualifications at university, I worked as a nutritionist at company dormitories and nursery schools. I chose to become a nutritionist instead of going to a culinary school because I wanted to gain deeper knowledge about food. I wanted to be involved in all things related to food, not just cooking.
After that, I left my job as a nutritionist due to marriage and worked in a completely different job, such as as an office worker at a tax accountant's office.
But even during that time, cooking was an integral part of life, as people made preserved foods and did seasonal handicrafts at home.

-What made you want to work in the food industry again?

About 10 years ago, after working in an office job for a while, I ended up damaging my health, probably because I was working too hard. I realized that although I was able to push myself when I was younger, as I get older, it's important to take a step back and think about what I should do.
So I decided that the first thing I needed to do was to get my body in shape, and I started going to Pilates classes.
The teacher there, who also studied yoga and psychology, told me, "It's better to be honest with your feelings and do what you want to do."
He is an ideal person who had a great influence on me and whom I still admire.

-It was a wonderful encounter! It's often said these days that meditation and other methods of calming the mind and facing oneself are important, but Okubo-san was already experiencing this 10 years ago.

The teacher is actually a qualified nutritionist, just like me. I learned that what we eat shapes who we are and how we feel. But, for example, instead of saying "junk food is bad," she said, "You shouldn't eat junk food with guilt." Even junk food can be a source of nourishment. I really relate to her way of thinking about food, not with negative thoughts.

-If you can't have this, can't have that, it seems like eating would be restrictive. That's a great way of thinking.
Was your current restaurant the result of you thinking about what you wanted to do?

It wasn't from the beginning that I wanted to have a restaurant. At that time, I liked to go to organic markets often, and one day while talking with the farmers who had stalls there and the housewives around, I mentioned that I was a qualified nutritionist and that I liked making seasonal handicrafts and cooking.
The current owner, who was also selling coffee beans at the time, heard about this and approached me, saying, "I'm thinking of opening a trailer cafe on the beach. Do you want to join us?"
The phrase "Do what you love as a job" was always on my mind, so after consulting with my husband, I decided to change jobs. I was working at a trailer cafe serving coffee and desserts with the Sea of ​​Japan in the background. The dessert that will be served at " Tsukiichi Restaurant " this time is the Basque cheesecake that has been popular since then.

-Another wonderful encounter! By speaking about what you like, you attracted a good encounter.

Our owner is very good at connecting people like that. Another person who had a big influence on me is my current owner.

After working at the trailer cafe for three years, he was told, "My next move will be to a restaurant," and was put in charge of what is now "Liberta La Cucina."
This isn't just a restaurant that serves meals, but a place where we can comfort and support people with their worries and anxieties.

I feel like there are more and more people suffering from physical illness, mental fatigue, and stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We want to create a place that offers options for improving health, so that we can be of some support to such people.
It could be the food you eat, moving your body, or taking care of your surroundings.
The restaurant serves healthy food, and in the garden in front of the restaurant we are planning to hold various events.
For example, I would like to suggest ways to energize people from various angles, such as doing yoga to move the body or having a bonfire to communicate.

-It's not just about food, it's a place that supports your life in many ways. I feel like this is a new way of running a restaurant. I have high hopes for Liberta La Cucina in the future!
By the way, Mr. Okubo, you are able to do what you love as a job, but do you cook in your private time?

Of course, I enjoy cooking at home too. In my case, I don't really see a clear line between my work and private life, and I feel like they are loosely connected.
My husband, who is an expert at eating, is in charge of making the prototypes for the dishes to be served at the restaurant (laughs). I am very grateful that he is helping me do what I love.

At home, I love spending time in the kitchen.
I deliberately call it "kitchen" rather than "kitchen" because I think "kitchen" sounds more like a place to live and not just cook.

Originally, it was normal for the Japanese kitchen to be at the center of the house. Especially in a place like Tottori where the snow is cut off for long periods of time, I think food is something people look forward to, or food tends to become the center of life. There is less traffic, so delicious food is something you can enjoy with your family. I like to use the word "kitchen" because I feel that it has a strong meaning of being the "center of life."

For example, in my case, I not only prepare the day's meals in the kitchen, but also do handicrafts. Handmade preserved foods are eaten a few days later, so they are also a part of my daily life.
You can feel the changing seasons through the ingredients you use, and it also fosters a sense of sustainability because it allows you to use ingredients that would otherwise be thrown away without leaving any waste.
Also, when I'm working with my hands like this, my husband comes over to the kitchen, and we can feel the season changing with the aroma of the ingredients and have lively conversation.
For me, the kitchen is not just a place to do housework, but a place where I can feel the seasons, have conversations, learn, and so on - it's a part of my daily life.

- When you hear about Okubo's thoughts behind "Kitchen," you can get a sense of how much he loves cooking and how important it is to him.
Finally, please tell us what you value in your daily life and work.

It's a word of gratitude, thank you.
Just as the word "thankful" suggests, I think "having something" is really difficult. I am grateful to be able to meet so many people, and I am grateful every day for the support I receive from so many people. When I was in poor health, I just couldn't afford it, and my sense of gratitude faded. Then, no matter what I did, it became difficult. Since I realized that by having a strong sense of gratitude, not only others but myself as well are fulfilled, I try to never forget to be grateful.

Mr. Okubo is a very charming person and has very attractive thoughts.
I'm sure the food that Okubo creates is filled with kindness, consideration, and a whole lot of gratitude.

Thank you, Okubo-san, for the wonderful story.

Public Relations: Okada