Renowned New York chef David Bouley, whose downtown restaurants include the kaiseki (traditional multi-course cuisine) mainstay Brushstroke, received the honorary title of Japanese cuisine goodwill ambassador on Friday.
The American chef said it was "truly an honor" to accept the designation from the Japanese government and praised the health benefits of the cuisine during a ceremony at the residence of the Japanese consul general in New York.
Bouley, 63, opened Brushstroke in 2011 as a joint venture with Japanese master chef Yoshiki Tsuji and the Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka.
The acclaimed New York restaurant serves kaiseki-inspired course meals emphasizing seasonal ingredients, as well as a sushi omakase (chef's recommendation) meal in a separate dining area.
Following his studies at the Sorbonne in Paris, Bouley apprenticed under several chefs in Europe and opened his original Bouley Restaurant in lower Manhattan in 1987, drawing largely on French cuisine for inspiration.
In the late 1990s, Bouley met and became friends with future collaborator Tsuji, whom he credits for greatly expanding his education about the ingredients, techniques and cultural traditions behind top-tier Japanese cooking.
A total of 21 Japanese cuisine ambassadors were announced in February by the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry in an effort to promote the country's culinary arts abroad.
Of the honorees chosen this year, eight are based domestically while 13 are spread out across nine foreign countries. Bouley is the only non-Japanese among the three U.S.-based chefs selected for the title.
The traditional dietary culture of Japan, or washoku, was inscribed in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2013.