Top award-winning chefs Touru Arima/有馬亨 (Pissaenlit/Shizuoka City) and Fuminori Nishitani/西谷文紀 (Nori/Fujieda City)
On November 29th was held the First Gastronomic Skills Meet/食の芸術(集い) in Shizuoka City under the auspices of the Shizuoka Prefecture Government which has been actively been active in promoting the gastronomic products and skills of our Prefecture notably with the publication of a book titled [ふじのくに食の都つくり仕事人]/[The Professionals who promote the gastronomy of the Land of Mount Fuji] which introduced 200 of the top-class chefs of our Prefecture.
For the first year 13 Chefs were given the top cccolade of Chefs of the Year (2011) while 63 of their colleagues were also given official recognition and 26 products were officially labeled as Designated Products of Shizuoka Prefecture.
The official banner!
A total attendance of more than 300 professionals, officials and gastronomes!
Some of the laureates!
A beautiful MC from a local TV Channel!
Shizuoka Governor Heita Kawakatsu/川勝平太 made a passionate (and loger than expected) speech about Shizuoka Prefecture products. An easy task when you realize it has been officially recognized by the Japanese government as the Prefecture boasting the greatest (by very far) number of agricultural and sea products!
Top-award winning chefs waiting for their accolade.
A small sample of the media in attendance!
After all this somewhat stiff officialdom (this is Japan!) we were finally invited to the neighboring hall to discover the Shizuoka-branded products and dishes prepared by some of the award-winning chefs!
Wasabi, persimmons and tomatoes naturally!
Two of my favorite products: Milk from Oratche Company in Kannami, Mishima City and Bioran Eggs from Shimizu Farm in Shizuoka City!
Salmon trout from Fujinomiya City are famous all over Japan!
Tuna sashimi on red orange slices
And the food! It was certainly a battle to get even near it!
A dessert from Shizuoka!
And another one!
Fried fish balls!
Ebi imo taro and sakura ebi/cherry shrimps appetizers!
Venison and wild boar from Izu no Kuni City in Izu Peninsula!
Tea roulade!
The plate I somehow battled away from the tables!
No need to tell you that I battled again for a second helping!
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