Yasuhiro Tomari

Chef en État d'esprit (Miyako, Okinawa, Japan)

For Tomari, gastronomy is his contribution to preserving the fragile local environment.

Born and raised in Miyako, Tomari moved to Tokyo at the age of 20 to pursue a career in the kitchen. After training in an Italian restaurant, he changed direction under the influence of French-based Japanese chef Keisuke Matsushima, first in Tokyo and then at his Michelin-starred restaurant in Nice, France.

After stints at chef Joel Robuchon's famous restaurants and in the French Basque country, Tomari decided it was time to return home and open his own restaurant.

Drawing on his French background, but inspired by local tradition, he developed a unique creative approach to haute cuisine that he calls modern Ryukyu gastronomy, after the name of the ancient kingdom of Okinawa. Almost all his ingredients come from Miyako or the neighbouring island of Irabu.

For Tomari, his cuisine is a celebration of his roots and a way of raising awareness of his culture and the need to preserve it.