This is an interview with Mr. Takeshi Ishikawa, a native of Fukushima Prefecture.
Mr. Ishikawa was a member of the kitchen staff from the opening of Hotel Okura Amsterdam and has an illustrious career that includes providing cuisine for Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun, the former Emperor and Empress (Their Majesties the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita), as well as the current Emperor and Empress of Japan.
He also became the first Japanese chef to win a professional chefs’ competition in the Netherlands, among many other notable achievements.
| 1945 | Born in Date City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| 1965 | Joined Hotel Okura Tokyo |
| 1971 | Assigned to Hotel Okura Amsterdam |
| 1989 | Became the first Japanese chef to win a professional culinary competition in the Netherlands |
| 2000 | Provided cuisine for Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress at a reception hosted by the Imperial Household Agency commemorating 400 years of Japan–Netherlands relations |
| 2002 | Provided cuisine for the Crown Prince and Princess of Japan (now the Emperor and the Empress) who attended the wedding of then Crown Prince Willem-Alexander (now King Willem-Alexander) |
| 2013 | Appointed President of the Fukushima Prefectural Association in the Netherlands |
Here is the full version of the interview.
Gallery
Click to enlarge the photo.
Around 1963 Snapshot from an employee trip
1965 on the Coming-of-Age Day
1974 With family at Haneda Airport
1978 Winning a culinary competition
Around 1980 With colleagues at Hotel Okura Amsterdam
Around 1982 AIDS Foundation event
Around 1985 At the workplace
1989 After winning the “Zilveren Koksmuts” culinary competition
2002 With David Beckham
2004 Newspaper article
2005 Dining at a renowned restaurant in Brussels using his retirement bonus from Hotel Okura
Year unknown In front of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris with his partner, Jasper
2005 With Shinji Ono
2009 With Kotoōshū-zeki at the “Sadogatake Stable Grand Sumo Introduction Event”
Around 2010
2018 With Junko Koshino at the Fukushima Pride & Fair in Paris