Two industry heavyweights come together at Auberge TOKITO for a very unique four-hands event.

A double line-up of two-star Michelin chefs, legendary Japanese chef Yoshinori Ishii and French chef Lionel Beccat of ESqUISSE (Ginza) united for two days at restaurant TOKITO in Tachikawa, Tokyo, with a menu that inspired and delighted.

Both championing Japanese ingredients, farmers and people in their work, Ishii and Beccat come together in a very rare collaborative series connected through their shared passions of using their profession for good. Through responsible sourcing of ingredients, they can support an ecosystem which is sustainable and ethical, and in turn, diners experience their philosophy in motion. Also both passionate about championing their team of staff, Ishii and Beccat titled their collaboration Transmission – a way to transmit energy, skills and knowledge to their team and guests.

Beccat’s style is indefinable, and that’s what makes his dishes at ESqUISSE so intriguing. Rarely engaging in four hands events, Beccat’s friendship with Ishii was the instigator, with both sharing the same values are their profession: in terms of working with their teams, sourcing ingredients and the holistic experience for diners where the tableware (made with Japanese craftspeople, championing generations-old traditional artisans) is just as important as the invented dishes themselves.

As a chef and potter himself, for the Transmission dining series Ishii San created one set of collaborative plates inspired by the feeling and simplicity of Lucio Fontana’s iconic work ‘Spatial Concept: Waiting’ 1960 featuring a single cut, leaning slightly to the right, over an unpainted canvas. Made through an idea combined with a feeling, just like Fontana’s expression, Ishii saw a connection between Beccat, himself and the artwork by Fontana.

Using the clay at his on-site studio at Auberge TOKITO, just like the dishes, the plates had literally come out of the “oven” – the kiln – that morning, still warm. The beauty and energy of creation was alive from the initial morning of the three-day dining series to unfold.

Beccat San brought his handmade lacquerware bowls made in Noto by his longterm friend Akagi San, made from scratch: from the wood-turning of the bowl, to 28 layers of the lacquerware process. Both chefs have a refined taste in Japanese crafts, and understand their value beyond the dining room. Guests at both ESqUISSE in Ginza and TOKITO in Tachikawa, Tokyo, get to experience this firsthand.

With a curated drinks menu by Sommelier Moichiro Horiuchi, an amazing selection of wine from Japan and also non alcohol pairings were profoundly unique and well-selected. Horiuchi shares the same respect for curation of suppliers, selecting ethical and local makers along with Japan-made glassware and ceramics. Highlights selected by Horiuchi were the Shichiken Sparkling Sake Expression 2006, Mongaku Valley Winery Field Blend 2021 and a Funky Chateau Pinot Noir naturally-fermented with locally-grown grapes.

With a philosophy to champion generational knowledge, highlighting value in their team, the land, the farmers and craftspeople they work with, Beccat and Ishii are among the most influential and pivotal chefs in Japan today.

To witness and experience their own craft is a privilege, an opportunity to change ones perspective on the transformational qualities of a dining experience thereafter.

AUBERGE TOKITO
1 Chome-24-26 Nishikicho, Tachikawa,
Tokyo 190-0022

Images: Champ Creative © 
Text: Editorial Director Monique Kawecki

Editors Note: the earthquake-stricken Noto Peninsula still need support to help to rebuild, now with the recent flooding the situation has become even worse. If you can support through fundraisers, please do.