Chicken Genius: The Art of Toshi Sakamaki's Yakitori Cuisine

by Bernard Radfar, Nobuyuki Matsuhisa (Introduction)

Overview

With an introduction by Nobu Matsuhisa, Chicken Genius sets the standard in any language as a reference encyclopedia to this classic Japanese cuisine, for anyone interested in enjoying the ultimate chicken dishes

In 2014, Bernard Radfar moved to West Los Angeles for one reason: to be closer to Toshi Sakamaki and his incredible Yakitori restaurant. Chicken Genius is a visual love letter to Toshi's cuisine and the care and grace with which he makes the best of the classic Japanese street food that is Yakitori (chicken skewers).

Bernard is not alone. Toshi's restaurant is the favorite of Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, who provides a glowing introduction to this beautiful book. It is not uncommon to be surrounded by many of Los Angeles' finest sushi chefs when dining in Toshi's restaurant. It's the care and precision with which Toshi puts together his Yakitori delicacies that make his restaurant, Yakitoria, the best of the best.

Chicken Genius is an art and lifestyle cookbook to be enjoyed in the kitchen or on your coffee table. With simple recipes from the restaurant as well as complete professional instructions and advanced techniques for butchering and skewering a chicken.

The book's uniqueness and craft are part of what's captivated audiences—along with the book's select recipes and 300+ stunning full-color photos. Kanpai.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781945572050
Publisher:	Rare Bird Books
Publication date:	07/23/2019
Pages:	212
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Bernard Radfar is the author of Insincerely Yours: Letters from a Prankster and Mecca Pimp: A Novel of Love and Human Trafficking. He lives in Los Angeles.

Nobuyuki Matsuhisa was born in Saitama, Japan, and trained as a sushi chef in Tokyo. After running restaurants in Peru, Argentina and Alaska, Nobu opened his first restaurant, Matsuhisa, in Beverly Hills in 1987. There are now thirteen Nobu restaurants worldwide.

Preface

Introduction by Nobu Matsuhisa

Yakitori. The word makes me hungry, as I remember the humble places in Japan where chicken is handled with honor and simplicity. Chef Toshimitsu Sakamaki has dedicated himself to our culinary tradition, quietly serving some of the greatest Yakitori in the world, right here in Los Angeles.

Like all great chefs, he expands our idea of what can be done with an ingredient, handled in the purest manner.

I love to enter Yakitoriya and put my trust in Toshi-san’s hands. Not all Westerners understand the nature of this exchange, but for me it is an essential part of what dining implies. A relationship is established over decades or even generations, and in Japan it is an essential fabric of daily life. It defines the culture itself.

Yakitori isn’t only about chicken, any more than sushi is only raw fish. And yet it is exactly that. Great care is taken with each selection and cut. A dish is composed much like an artist who faces the canvas. Juxtapose this with most places we encounter, where quality is not the guiding principle, as it ought to be.

This book, therefore, is both an introduction and a celebration of Yakitori.

Allow yourself to enter the world of it, as it is a rewarding one. There’s elegance in it, to warming yourself by the fire, in expectation of the next skewer. Being with loved ones, sharing a bottle of Sake and drinking the purest of broths. Great food such as this has the power to transform us.

I hope this book gives readers the experience of being at Toshi-san’s counter, and helps spread awareness of the importance in feeding and eating well. We all need nourishment and beauty. It is after all a journey we are all on, and how we eat and cook and serve seems to me to be an issue of ultimate importance.