From Gourmet Kitchen to Disaster Relief: A Chef's Mission in Suzu

Feb 04, 2024 | News On Japan

Ishikawa, Feb 04, 2024 (News On Japan) - In the aftermath of the Noto Peninsula earthquake, a French chef who once earned a Michelin star has been providing disaster relief cooking in Suzu City, Ishikawa. Norio Kawamoto, currently a restaurant owner in Kanazawa, has taken to the home economics classroom of a school turned evacuation center to prepare a variety of colorful meals for the displaced.

Kawamoto visited the Otani area of Suzu City, which had been isolated for over two weeks due to landslides that severed road connections, leaving the community without external food assistance for a significant period.

"Today, we're making Chikuzen-ni. It's mainly vegetables, which makes it easily recognizable and suitable for the elderly," explained Chef Kawamoto.

On this day, he prepared dishes including sweet potato gratin and roast pork, serving up 120 portions of gourmet-quality food to evacuees and local residents alike.

Meanwhile, the fishing community faces its own set of challenges. "The boats are stuck at the bottom, making it impossible to take them out under the current conditions," shared one fishery worker.

Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Tetsushi Sakamoto inspected the Wajima Port, where the seabed had risen by approximately two meters, indicating plans to assess the damage to fishing vessels and provide support for repairs, underscoring a multi-faceted response to the disaster's impact.

Source: FNN

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