Q & A with Takashi Yagihashi

What comes to mind when you think of Detroit?  The auto industry, Detroit Red Wings, and Eminem.   Detroit’s not really known for its food.  But Takashi Yagihashi has changed that.  He debuted on the Detroit dining scene with Tribute, a highly acclaimed French Japanese restaurant and followed it up with a second venture, Takashi, where he puts a French-American spin on Japanese cooking in Chicago. 

Before landing in Detroit, Yagihashi got a degree in interior design.  Instead, he ended up training at Yoshi’s Cafe, then French Ambria.   He’s also opened Noodles in Macy’s and has written a cookbook on all things noodles, called “Takashi’s Noodles,” which explores everything from spaghetti to soba gnocchi. 

At Takashi, his menu features yellowtail kampachi with monkfish foie gras and Tosasu dressing as well as a roasted strip steak with wasabi, miso-glazed fingerlings, and fried salsify. 

When you opened Tribute
you were combining French and Asian flavors into one of the most
exciting restaurants in the Midwest.  Did you fear people in the area
weren’t ready for it?
Initially
I was worried since I was moving from a place like Chicago to Detroit,
but it ended up being the opposite actually. I was surprised by the
international community (due to the auto industry.)   I had a lot of customers.

What is your favorite place in New York to get Japanese food?
A
difficult question!  I love New York – it’s always exciting. I’d have
to say Matsugen – my wife and I went and enjoyed it. They make great
stuff, and I’m happy that American people go to eat there. Such great,
minimalist taste.

You have a degree in interior design.  How have you incorporated that knowledge into your work as a chef?
Any kind of job is connected to it, I think. Funny, I actually wanted to be a baseball player but I realized I didn’t have the drive.  I noticed I liked working with my hands…creating and designing.  So that’s why I went to school for interior design. However, I started cooking at sixteen. I did it to make money, but I liked the reactions of the customers, and right away you can see that your hard work is appreciated.

What is the most important thing you learned from your French training?
There’s
such a long history, and so many chefs. I learned organization – it’s
such a structured culinary system, and far more established than those
of Japanese or Chinese kitchens.  I use the French system in my
kitchen, so that everyone can still help each other.

What
inspired you to open Noodles — a rustic Japanese noodle shop — in a
department store?  Do you find yourself more interested in fine dining
or country style cuisine?
I
was looking for locations, and the executive from Macy’s offered me a
space (which already had an ok noodle spot.) I said ok, let’s do it,
and it was around the time that I had finished my noodle cookbook too.
When I was a kid, I was crazy about noodles, and I wanted to show my
experience and knowledge to the American people – to bring them nice,
familiar flavors that I remember. We have soy, shoyu, seafood and miso
broths with appetizers and some braised pork belly.  As far as which I prefer, the restaurants are as different as my children, but I love them equally!

How and why did you get involved in the Macy’s Culinary council?
It
was about seven to eight years ago, when I was the chef at Tribute.
They approached me, and frankly I wasn’t sure why. I guess it was
because Tribute was one of the best and they wanted a top chef from
Detroit.

How is Takashi Restaurant different from other Japanese restaurants?
My career started out in Japan – I then decided to cook French food. I eventually wanted to go back to my roots, focus on Japanese ingredients. However, a lot of people think Takashi restaurant is simply Japanese, and it’s not.  Generally, my food is seafood and I try to be local, fresh and light.  I liked to give more energy to the food – you have to choose the best ingredients because this food is going into the body.

Any new projects on the horizon?  Do tell…

Definitely more noodle shops with Macy’s, and my cookbook is coming out. It’s not a coffee table book – I make sure it actually works so the customer to cook out of. I’m also writing a second cookbook, which will be all about tofu. The stuff is getting popular, but a lot of people don’t know how to cook with it. I’d also like to open a Japanese bistro – sort of like an izakaya with small plates and Japanese tapas.

Takashi Restaurant
Address:  1952 N. Damen Ave., (at Armitage Ave.), Chicago, IL.
Phone: (773) 772-6170