As second generation chef, Hideaki Matsuo has renewed Kashiwaya by incorporating modern elements into the the established restaurant, which was founded by his father in 1977. A passionate collector of Japanese artifacts, Matsuo’s father gave up his liquor business in his late forties to open up his own restaurant that could bring his collection to life.

In college, young Matsuo pursued a completely different interest of theoretical physics. But his encounter with tea ceremony turned his heart towards the beauty of Japanese traditions. He began to spend more time with his father, explored many restaurants and museums together and discussed everything from calligraphy to ceramics to cooking. His own dream started to grow. Upon graduation, he began his apprenticeship at Shofukuro, an established kaiseki restaurant in Shiga Prefecture, just north of Osaka. Shocked by the sophistication of their cuisine and service, it was here that Matsuo began his long pursuit to master the ways of omotenashi—Japanese-style hospitality.

“When it comes to hospitality, cleaning the floor is equally as important as cooking a dish,” Matsuo reminds himself of what he was taught. Matsuo returned to his father’s Kashiwaya at age 25 when the restaurant was facing tough times in finding and keeping the right chef. For the next few years, the father and son worked hard together to bring the business back on track. When his father proposed to bring in a new chef, Matsuo quickly rejected the idea and instead embarked on a project to rehaul the restaurant. For close to ten years, Matsuo focused on diligently following his learnings and techniques from Shofukuro. Only then, he felt he had earned enough experience to incorporate his own ideas into Kashiwaya’s menu.

“At mid-forties, I was finally confident enough to create dishes that I had thought of myself. Before then, I could imagine the dishes but couldn’t bring them to life,” Matsuo explains, stressing the importance of having both the ideas and the skills to produce new recipes.

Vision
“The experience of Kashiwaya is to be enjoyed with the heart,” Matsuo says, whose vision is to present the best of Japanese culture. “It’s not just about tasting the food but understanding where it came from, how it was created and what it all means.” His next challenge is to expand his passion overseas, starting in Asia. He is mulling opening a new restaurant in Hong Kong in a few years to offer more people an opportunity to experience Japanese culture through food. He also wants to pass on his learnings to younger chefs of different nationalities.

Thanks to his dedication in nurturing the next generation, many young chefs at Kashiwaya have stayed, creating a family-like business. “I try to ask my staff for their opinion and share ideas for our direction,” Matsuo says. “We’re a team and we want to move forward together.”