During my last few years in school, on the weekends I had the fortune to join the ranks of a great Michelin-starred restaurant in my hometown. It was there where I met a Japanese man for the first time. 
In the following years of my career I have met, befriended and worked alongside many more Japanese chefs and trainees. From these experiences, I've become attracted to the culture.

My motto is, “Always do what makes you happy, no matter the payback,” because in the long run there will be payback.
Enjoy what you do in your private and work lives daily and put 100 percent into everything without thinking of the return, and the best outcome will come to you. I truly believe the best outcomes in this business are obtained by enjoying the ride rather than looking at the goal.

What makes me proud is to have in my books an uncountable number of people who I can call friends, met between days and decades ago, thanks to each career step I managed to take from one restaurant to another.
I have always picked each move very carefully and repeatedly been able to choose where to go next and bring with me only good memories.

During these coming years in Japan my goal is to discover and understand as much as I can of this captivating culture and possibly learn a few important lessons for myself and my family.
Purely as a chef, my goal is to enjoy a successful collaboration with the most passionate population in the world when it comes to care and respect for food.

I could share more in a year from now but, from my previous visits to Japan (brief as they were for both leisure and business), take note. This is a truly unique country with a remarkably strong tradition.
Traditions are hard to hold onto for many populations, and it is such an eye-opener to see how Japan and the Japanese people can move ahead of every other nation in technology and innovation while maintaining and respecting the tradition and culture one of the oldest countries. It’s truly remarkable.
Whether you're living or working in Japan, always remember the word “respect,” as I believe this is Japan's secret recipe to success; an absolute and unconditional respect toward whatever and whoever they face.