Sustainable restaurant highlights with FOOD MADE GOOD (Part 3)

In this series of “sustainable restaurant” articles, we have discovered several Japanese restaurants which are involved in the Sustainable Restaurant Association Japan (SRA-J) and the Japanese branch of internationally renowned the “FOOD MADE GOOD” program. Let’s look at two more restaurants that have obtained high ratings from the Sustainable Restaurant Association Japan in its FOOD MADE GOOD program.

Kayanoya Restaurant met all of the criteria for product sourcing, social contribution and environmental considerations to receive the FOOD MADE GOOD program’s highest ranking. The restaurant in Fukuoka Prefecture, southern Japan, was born from the soy sauce and seasonings manufacturer Kubara Honke.

The restaurant offers traditional Japanese dishes and focuses on the taste of seasonal ingredients. Inspired by the slow food movement, its answer to the question “what must a food company do for future generations?” is to take time and work hard.

The company sells its seasonings and other food products at stores throughout Japan and online. Applying the principles of Kayanoya Restaurant, they do not contain any artificial additives or preservatives. Kubara Honke makes monthly donations of its products to local food banks that feed children and help poor families.

SELVAGGIO is part of a resort called Mizugiwano Lodge (The Riverside Lodge) that is located amid forest in Ehime Prefecture, southern Japan. The restaurant has obtained the second-highest ranking in the FOOD MADE GOOD program.

SELVAGGIO focuses on utilizing local ingredients, believing that the potential of the ingredients trumps the cooking method. It values producers’ love of their produce and the characteristics of the ingredients. Its Italian dishes are supervised by Masakazu Iwazawa, the owner-chef of PIZZERIA GTALIA DA FILIPPO, which was mentioned in the first article in this series.

As with Kayanoya Restaurant, SELVAGGIO is inspired by the slow food movement that originated in Italy. Its concept of sustainability is preserving traditional recipes and the art of cooking and enjoying meals slowly. It is committed to creating a cycle of production and consumption that connects the diner to everyone involved in the food’s creation.

Both of these restaurants were inspired by the slow food movement, which envisions “a world in which all people can access and enjoy food that is good for them, good for those who grow it and good for the planet.” In Japan, we consumers rarely see the processes of food production, which may make us less awareness of them. However, the restaurants I have introduced here show us how we can enjoy and support responsible food production and consumption by considering the life cycle of food and those involved in it.

Japan’s sustainable restaurants series

• Most sustainable restaurants in Japan (Part 1) – Restaurant817 & PIZZERIA GTALIA DA FILIPPO
• Most sustainable restaurants in Japan (Part 2) – BOTTEGA BLU. & TRATTORIA QENARU
• Most sustainable restaurants in Japan (Part 3) – Kayanoya Restaurant & SELVAGGIO