"Chefs for the Blue" was established by about 30 top chefs from Tokyo to think about the future of the ocean. Its founder and representative director is food writer Hiroko Sasaki.
Chefs for the Blue has held events and lectures on sustainable seafood while learning from NGOs, researchers, and government agencies. Their activities, which are unique to chefs and involve collaboration with companies and local governments, have been widely covered in the media.
We spoke to Sasaki, a former food writer, about how he began to focus on ocean issues, and the role Chefs for the Blue will play in the future of our oceans.
--Please tell us about Chefs for the Blue's recent initiatives.
There are a few, but the one I've been focusing on most recently is a project I did in collaboration with Umitron, a startup company working on aquaculture and technology. One of these projects is the Seafood Action Project "Sea and Sachi" This is a project.
In this project, we conducted a sales demonstration to see how customers would respond to sustainable farmed fish. Farmed fish with low environmental impact were sold at supermarkets in the Kanto region. By accessing the attached QR code, customers can see recipes created by chefs from Chefs for the Blue, information about the producers and farmed fish, and the background of "sustainability". By suggesting actual ways to eat the fish, we can guide customers to the cash register, and if the fish is delicious, they will continue to buy it.
A major feature of farmed fish is that, unlike wild fish, all the fish in one "pond" end up with almost the same taste. Our strength is being able to provide recipes that perfectly match that taste. We spent two months creating the recipes, and put a lot of effort into proposing them. With over 2 years of experience as a food writer, I was also conscious of what kind of recipes would resonate with customers. For example, recipes that can be made in 20 minutes or less, with no more than three main ingredients, and using ingredients that are available all year round. We used very simple and slightly more advanced recipes to make the content accessible to a wide range of people. Each chef came up with more than two recipes, and then we selected from those, brushed them up, and completed the recipe.
"Umi to Sachi" Sales Demonstration Project
--This is an approach that only a group of top chefs can take. What was the reaction?
This time, we mainly sold farmed red sea bream that was certified by the ASC eco-label*, and one store that sold Umi to Sachi's red sea bream recorded the highest daily sales of all stores. Generally, there is a preconceived notion that sustainable products don't sell in supermarkets, but the store owners seem to be feeling the positive response.
Up until now, when we have held lectures and events, the one question that has always been asked by general participants is, "So, what should we do starting tomorrow?" Until now, we have struggled to come up with an answer to that question. However, this project has allowed us to suggest "what should we incorporate into our daily meals?" Although it was a short-term project limited to the Tokyo metropolitan area, I think it was very significant that we were able to present one option to consumers. We have heard a lot of people say, "There was something we could have done."
Unless consumers change, distribution will not change, and unless distribution changes, fishermen will not be able to take action. It is difficult for fishermen alone to tackle sustainability. We are trying to send messages in all directions, but we think it is especially important to appeal to consumers.
--Why did you become a food writer?
I had many opportunities to eat out since I was little, and I loved eating. When I was in high school, I used to save up my pocket money and look forward to going to restaurants that were featured in gourmet books.
Because I grew up like that, I also loved reading cooking magazines. One day, I had the opportunity to attend a class taught by a food writer I admired. During the class, she liked my writing and I became her apprentice.
And as I interviewed chefs almost daily as a food writer, I began to notice the appeal of chefs. I love food, but I especially love chefs. Every chef has a desire to please their customers and respect for the producers. They are very compassionate and humane people. I interview chefs from all over the world, but Japanese chefs are particularly skilled and have a strong attachment to their ingredients.
As with the recipe suggestions, they always respond to any challenge. They always return the favor with something delicious. I have a lot of respect for their artisan spirit.
An article written by Sasaki, "Chefs' Project to Support Medical Institutions Responding to the Coronavirus" https://dancyu.jp/read/2021_00004291.html
--Have you always been interested in ocean issues?
No, at first I only got information from the major mass media. I knew that the amount of eel and tuna was decreasing, and I just tried not to eat them. Looking back, my knowledge was very shallow. I had no idea that other fish species were decreasing.
One time, I had the opportunity to cover a fisheries-related topic for work, and through talking to people involved in the fishing industry and fisheries researchers, I learned for the first time about the current state of Japan's fishery resources.
What especially made an impression on me was the story of the fishermen of Iki. In Iki, the tuna catch had dropped significantly, so the fishermen had voluntarily banned fishing during the spawning season. However, their efforts were hardly known. Even when the fishermen raised their voices, their voices were not heard by society. I was shocked by this fact.
I felt guilty as a food writer for not having the knowledge and for not fulfilling my responsibility to communicate. At the same time, I felt a great sense of crisis that "if things continued like this, we wouldn't be able to pass on Japanese food culture to the future."
I've been involved with food for a long time, and I'm convinced that the wonderfulness of Japanese food culture is unparalleled. There is a wide range of ingredients, and you can eat the best of not only Japanese cuisine, but also Chinese, French, and Italian cuisine. And you can encounter delicious food at reasonable prices. The high level of perfection, the depth and breadth of the cuisine. There is no other country like it anywhere in the world.
Seafood underpins Japan's food culture. Of course, Japanese cuisine would not exist without seafood, but for example, more than half of the courses in high-end French cuisine are fish dishes. While there are only a few types of meat, the Japanese eat 50 to 100 different types of fish. You could say that incorporating a variety of fish in various forms onto a single dish is a way for a chef to express his or her identity. But if fish could no longer be caught, this would no longer be possible.
--So your motivation for getting involved with the ocean was your sense of crisis about the survival of Japan's food culture. After learning about the current situation, how did you proceed with your efforts?
After listening to the fishermen's stories, I wondered what sushi restaurants and chefs thought. However, when I went to talk to them, no one knew about the current situation. Not even people involved in the food industry like me, not even chefs. So it's only natural that the general public doesn't know either. Many Japanese people, myself included, don't know the background of the ingredients that come to our dinner table.
So I decided to start by learning from the ground up. I held a study session with some chefs I know. All 30 people I invited came. We learned about the current state of the ocean and shared and discussed the need for resource management.
Some chefs said they couldn't believe it. But the reality is that the procurement situation has changed. Everyone wanted to know the reason, so they continued to participate in the study sessions.
"What can we do?" I think they all felt a sense of confusion and impatience. At that time, in 2017, no one had heard of any talk of fisheries reform. With no change in the government or system, there was a lot of impatience about what we, as chefs, could do. Discussions flew at every meeting.
Personally, I didn't know where to go, and it felt like I was running through a tunnel with no light. I believed what I heard in the interviews, of course, but there was no proof that it was correct. The government was saying something different, too. I was responsible for the actions of the 30 people who gathered. I couldn't express how painful it was. But since I had started running, I had no choice but to do it. I believed that this was absolutely the right thing to do, and continued to learn.
Scenes from the study session
We thought that by getting the word out to everyone, not just ourselves, we could form opinions from the bottom up. So in the same year, we founded Chefs for the Blue with about 30 top chefs in Tokyo (later it became a general incorporated association). The first thing we did was a food truck event. We sold sustainable seafood dishes from a food truck and provided information about it.
I tried to reach out to media people to cover my story, but no media showed up on the day. I had no choice but to write the article myself. After that, as I continued to hold events and lectures, word gradually spread and I started getting more interviews. But still, I was only featured in food media or fisheries media.
I think the moment I felt the winds were turning was when Chef Ishii Shinsuke, one of our directors, launched a restaurant specializing in sustainable seafood, "Sincere Blue," in 1. We received over 2020 interviews in two months, including from major media outlets such as television and newspapers. I think there are more new perspectives on sustainable seafood now than before. It was featured not only in social and economic sections, but also in home and lifestyle sections. I feel that interest has become more widespread and society has matured.
--Please tell us about Chefs for the Blue's future plans.
We would like to continue to collaborate with companies, the central government, and local governments. We feel there is particularly great potential in collaboration with regional areas. We have a network of chefs, so we have connections with regional chefs. In fact, when some young chefs in Toyama saw our activities and spoke out, saying, "We want to make Toyama's ocean sustainable," we started collaborating with the local government. We feel that if we can move forward while communicating with each region, many possibilities will emerge.
There are local fishermen who are working on sustainability, so I would like to support those activities as well. Ultimately, I think it's best for both fishermen and chefs to be self-sufficient. If chefs and fishermen join forces and can keep the local economy going, it will be a truly sustainable initiative.
--Chefs for the Brew is soon entering its fifth year of activity, but have you found the answer to your original question: "What can we do?"
I think that what we can do now as a group of chefs is to act as flag-bearers for everyone. Because we are a gathering of top-class chefs, we should be able to do a lot as influencers. Also, Japanese chefs are, for better or worse, more accessible than their Western counterparts, so I think we can send messages from a perspective closer to that of consumers.
Chefs have the ability to connect with both producers and consumers, and sometimes with the media as well. So, depending on how you collaborate, I think you can do some very interesting things.
Of course, all of the team's restaurants are individual establishments with limited seating, so even if everyone on the team uses sustainable seafood, it won't change the market. Still, we can show the food industry, consumers, and distributors such as supermarkets the direction to go in. I'd like to walk this path together with you.
Now, the team is finally facing the same direction and walking at the same pace. We are starting to feel that we are being recognized by society. We no longer feel like we are in a tunnel. There is a clear light that tells us "Just run in this direction." Of course, we will continue to discuss how to achieve this. But the rails we chose were not wrong. Everyone on the team feels that we were right to continue running with faith.
Hiroko Sasaki
She studied international relations in Japan, journalism and culinary arts in the United States, and cultural anthropology in Hong Kong. After working for a company, she became a freelance journalist. As a food writer, editor, and translator, she has contributed to magazines, newspapers, websites, etc. on themes such as food culture, restaurants, and food sustainability for many years. She is also a member of the World Gastronomy Institute (WGI) Advisory Committee.
Chefs for the Blue General Incorporated Associationhttps://chefsfortheblue.jp/
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