銀座――この魅力的な街は、多くの人々にとって、特別な瞬間や記憶に残る場所となっています。親に手を引かれて足を踏み入れたデパート、マスターのこだわりを感じる喫茶店、初デートで訪れたレストラン。どれもが、この街の独特の雰囲気と結びついています。
連載「銀座・メモワール」では、森岡書店代表、森岡督行さんがナビゲーターとして登場します。多様なゲストが織りなす銀座の豊かな物語を共有し、銀座の多面性とその普遍的な魅力に焦点を当てます。連載を通じて、銀座の隠れた魅力と多彩なストーリーに触れ、新たな価値を一緒に発見しましょう。

三つ星レストラン「ロオジエ」のエグゼクティブシェフを務めるオリヴィエ・シェニョンさんをゲストに迎えた「銀座・メモワール」第3回。後篇は、料理の腕前以外の職能が求められる現代的なシェフのあり方について、そしてシェニョンさんが密かにアイデアを温めているという銀座を拠点にした食プロジェクトの話へ続きます。

前篇はこちらから

森岡　時代に応じてシェフの役割も変わっていくものだと思いますが、シェニョンさんから見て、現代においてよいシェフの条件は何だと思いますか？
シェニョン　第一に、よい食材を見つけられること。これはいつの時代も変わりません。それに加えて、今は生産者と協働することが求められていると思います。そこで採れる野菜や果物を使って新しいレシピをつくれば、生産地や農家の価値を高めることもできます。またマイクロバイオーム農法にしても、研究者だけでは、従来のやり方を変えることに抵抗のある農家の方たちに対して変化を促すのはむずかしい場合があります。ですが、シェフからアプローチすれば、聞く耳を持ってもらえることもある。
森岡　エコシステム全体の改善に積極的に関わっていくわけですね。
シェニョン　九州に国産のサフラン農園があるのをご存じですか？　九州の一部の地域では昔から体調がよくないときにサフランをお湯に入れて飲む文化があるんです。漢方みたいに。でも、日本にサフラン農園があること自体あまり知られていません。そうした知られざる国内の産地に光をあてるのも私の役目だと考えています。サフランは生産国によっては、その生産過程で社会的に課題を抱える国もありますが、国産であればその問題もありません。味がよく、健康的で、よいことずくめです。
森岡　これからのシェフの仕事はレストランの外にあるのかもしれないですね。
シェニョン　でも、最初からそれが目的だったわけではありません。どれもロオジエのお客さんに特別な体験をしてほしい、という願いから始まった取り組みです。

森岡　今後、シェニョンさんがロオジエでやっていきたいことはありますか？
シェニョン　子どもへの食育を通じて、消費者の意識を変えたいと考えています。日本のスーパーの野菜や果物は同じ大きさのものが並んでいて綺麗ですが、曲がったニンジンやしみがあるトマトはまず並ばない。でも、不恰好なものでも味や栄養素に差はありません。その意識を変えたいんです。なぜ子どもかというと、彼らが次世代の消費者だからです。本来の野菜や果物のあり方を知ってほしいのです。
森岡　銀座にその拠点となる場所があったらいいですよね。
シェニョン　将来的には、全国のマイクロバイオーム農法を取り入れている農家の食材を集めて、テイスティングができる空間を銀座につくりたいと考えています。野菜を収穫したり、曲がったニンジンを生で子どもに食べてもらったりできる場所ですね。
森岡　それ、面白いですね！
シェニョン　生の野菜だけではなく、加工品を扱ってもいいかもしれません。生産者からも野菜や加工品を送ってもらって、しっかり利益を還元できる場ができたらいいですね。すべての食材をロオジエで使うことはできませんが、マイクロバイオーム農法に取り組んでくれるのであれば、私としても6次産業的な取り組みなど、できるかぎり協力するつもりです。今後このムーブメントに、さまざまな文化の人たちが参加してくれることを祈っています。
森岡　名前はどうしましょうか？
シェニョン　名前はまだ決まっていません。考えないといけないですね。

オリヴィエ・シェニョン
日本とフランスの最高の食材をセレクトし、独自の感性による新たなコンビネーションを生かした繊細な味とテクスチャーがオリヴィエ・シェニョンならではの絶妙なハーモニーを生み出している。
「タイユヴァン」、「ピエール・ガニェ―ル」のパリ本店などで経験を積み、2005年「ピエール・ガニェール・ア・東京」の総料理長として来日。2013年「ロオジエ」のエグゼクティブシェフに就任。『ミシュランガイド東京2015～2018』では二つ星、『ゴ・エ・ミヨ東京2017』において「今年のシェフ賞」受賞、『ミシュランガイド東京2019』より6年連続で三つ星を獲得。
https://losier.shiseido.co.jp/

森岡督行
1974年山形県生まれ。森岡書店代表。文筆家。『800日間銀座一周』（文春文庫）、『ショートケーキを許す』（雷鳥社）など著書多数。
キュレーターとしても活動し、聖心女子大学と共同した展示シリーズの第二期となる「子どもと放射線」を、2023年10月30日から2024年4月22日まで開催する。
https://www.instagram.com/moriokashoten/?hl=ja

平岩壮悟
編集者／ライター
1990年、岐阜県高山市生まれ。フリーランス編集／ライターとして文芸誌、カルチャー誌、ファッション誌に寄稿するほか、オクテイヴィア・E・バトラー『血を分けた子ども』（藤井光訳、河出書房新社）をはじめとした書籍の企画・編集に携わる。訳書にヴァージル・アブロー『ダイアローグ』（アダチプレス）。
https://www.instagram.com/sogohiraiwa/

ナタリー・カンタクシーノ
フォトグラファー
スウェーデン・ストックホルム出身のフォトグラファー。東京で日本文化や写真技術を学び、ファッションからドキュメンタリー、ライフスタイルのジャンルで活躍。
https://www.instagram.com/nanorie/

Ginza – This charming city is home to special moments and memories for many people. The department store you walked into with your parents’ help, the coffee shop where you could feel the master’s special attention to detail, the restaurant you visited on your first date. All are tied to the city’s unique atmosphere.
In the series “Ginza Memoir”, Morioka Shoten’s representative, Noriyuki Morioka, will appear as a navigator. A diverse group of guests will share Ginza’s rich stories, highlighting Ginza’s multifaceted nature and its universal appeal. Through this series, let’s come into contact with Ginza’s hidden charms and diverse stories, and discover new values ​​together.

The third edition of “Ginza Memoir” featured Olivier Chaignon, executive chef of the three-star restaurant “L’Osier,” as a guest. The second part continues with the story of the modern chef’s role, which requires skills other than cooking skills, and a Ginza-based food project that Chaignon is secretly developing an idea for.
Click here for the Part 1

All to provide a special experience
Morioka: As I was listening to you, I realized that the work of chefs these days is truly diverse. In addition to cooking, he also works with restaurant directors and producers to improve the soil. I thought it was a difficult job.
Chaignon: That’s right. Being a chef is primarily a manual job, but you also need the ability to organize a team, and these days, you also need to be able to do PR. In my case, I also choose uniforms and order plate designs. During this time, I also made a plate decorated with abstract camellia petals.
Morioka: It’s similar to an art director.
Chaignon: I also designed a wagon to carry the dessert after the meal. Order the drawers at a height that will allow them to rest on the customer’s table. In this sense, a variety of job skills are required.

Morioka: I think the role of a chef changes with the times, but from your perspective, what do you think are the requirements for a good chef in modern times?
Chaignon: First of all, being able to find good ingredients. This will never change. In addition to that, I think it is now necessary to collaborate with producers. By creating new recipes using the fruits and vegetables grown there, you can increase the value of the production areas and farmers. Furthermore, even with microbiome farming, it can be difficult for researchers alone to encourage farmers who are resistant to changing their traditional methods to change. However, if you approach the chef, you may be able to get him to listen.
Morioka: So you’re actively involved in improving the entire ecosystem.
Chaignon: Did you know that there is a domestic saffron farm in Kyushu? In some areas of Kyushu, there is a tradition of drinking saffron in hot water when you are not feeling well. Like Chinese medicine. However, not many people know that there are saffron farms in Japan. I believe that it is my role to shed light on these unknown production areas in Japan. Depending on the country in which saffron is produced, there may be social issues in the production process, but if it is produced domestically, there are no such issues. It tastes good, it’s healthy, and it’s full of goodness.
Morioka: The job of a chef in the future may be outside of restaurants.
Chaignon: But that wasn’t the goal from the beginning. All of these initiatives began with the desire for L’Osier customers to have a special experience.

The future of gastronomy starts in Ginza
Morioka: I heard that L’Oosier does not have a “traditional menu” that has existed since its founding.
Chaignon: That’s right. Of course, tradition is important. But I think change is part of being a restaurant. There are also restaurants that offer popular menus as “specialties,” but I think it is the customers who decide what is special, not the restaurant.
Morioka: Is there a reason why you think that way?
Chaignon: If there is a request, we may serve the same dish, but generally we always try to offer new dishes. Not only the menu, but also the service and interior. The premise is to change. We have customers who come to eat here many times a month, so we want them to always discover new things.
Morioka: It’s difficult to provide new experiences to regular customers every time.
Chaignon: Even if you can’t change everything, you can add something new. To achieve this, we keep records of when customers arrive and what they eat.
Morioka: That’s amazing.
Chaignon: Also, changing the menu will increase the team’s motivation. There’s no stimulation in making the same thing over and over again. Even though we use the same ingredients, we often change the cooking method.

Morioka: Mr. Chaignon, is there anything you would like to do at L’Osier in the future?
Chaignon: We want to change consumer awareness through nutritional education for children. Japanese supermarkets have vegetables and fruits of the same size lined up neatly, but crooked carrots and stained tomatoes are hard to line up. However, there is no difference in taste or nutritional value even if it is unsightly. I want to change that mindset. The reason for children is that they are the next generation of consumers. I want people to know the true nature of vegetables and fruits.
Morioka: It would be great if there was a place in Ginza that could serve as a base.
Chaignon: In the future, I would like to create a space in Ginza where you can collect and taste ingredients from farmers across the country who use microbiome farming. It’s a place where you can harvest vegetables and feed crooked carrots raw to your children.
Morioka: That’s interesting!
Chaignon: In addition to raw vegetables, it might be a good idea to handle processed products as well. It would be great if we could have a place where we could receive vegetables and processed products from producers and return profits to them. Although it is not possible to use all the ingredients at L’Oosier, if they are willing to work on microbiome farming, I would like to cooperate as much as possible, such as in the 6th industry. I hope that people from various cultures will join this movement in the future.
Morioka: What should we name it?
Chaignon: The name has not been decided yet. I have to think about it.

Olivier Chaignon
Selecting the best ingredients from Japan and France, the delicate flavors and textures are created through new combinations based on Olivier Chaignon’s unique sensibilities, creating an exquisite harmony unique to Olivier Chaignon.
After gaining experience at the Paris branch of “Taillevent” and “Pierre Gagnaire”, he came to Japan in 2005 as the executive chef of “Pierre Gagnaire a Tokyo”. In 2013, he became the executive chef of L’Oosier. He received two stars in the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2015-2018, won the Chef of the Year Award at Gault & Millau Tokyo 2017, and received three stars for the sixth consecutive year in the Michelin Guide Tokyo 2019.
https://losier.shiseido.co.jp/

Yoshiyuki Morioka
Born in Yamagata Prefecture in 1974. Representative of Morioka Shoten. Writer. He has written many books, including “800 Days Around Ginza” (Bunshun Bunko) and “I Forgive Shortcakes” (Raichousha).
She also works as a curator and will hold the second phase of the exhibition series, “Children and Radiation,” in collaboration with University of the Sacred Heart, from October 30, 2023 to April 22, 2024.
https://www.instagram.com/moriokashoten/?hl=ja

Sogo Hiraiwa
Editor/Writer
Born in 1990 in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture. In addition to contributing to literary, culture, and fashion magazines as a freelance editor/writer, he also plans and edits books such as Octavia E. Butler’s “Children of Blood” (translated by Hikaru Fujii, published by Kawade Shobo Shinsha). Involved in Translated by Virgil Abloh “Dialogue” (Adachi Press)
https://www.instagram.com/sogohiraiwa/

Nathalie Cantacuzino
Photographer from Stockholm, Sweden. Studied Japanese culture and photography techniques in Tokyo, and is active in genres ranging from fashion to documentary and lifestyle.
https://www.instagram.com/nanorie/