Our Town Inagi 2023: Kazuki Hamabe

Won the Gold Award (Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Award) in the Appetizer Category at the 14th Youth Chef Chinese Cuisine Competition!

Kazuki Hamabe (35), a chef at Akasaka Szechuan Restaurant, residing in Hirao, participated in the 14th Young Chefs Chinese Cuisine Competition held last November, where he won the gold prize (Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Award) in the appetizer category. The Young Chefs Chinese Cuisine Competition is held every two years with the aim of improving cooking techniques in Chinese cuisine, fostering successors, and promoting and disseminating Chinese cuisine. Young chefs under 40 compete in five categories (appetizers, hot dishes & seafood, hot dishes & poultry, desserts, and set meals) for the title of the best in Japan.

Expressing the phoenix with about 50 types of ingredients

Mr. Hamabe participated in the appetizer category, where the challenge was to create a dish called Phoenix Platter, shaped like a phoenix, and a plate with three types of appetizers. The image that Mr. Hamabe envisioned while creating the Phoenix Platter was of two phoenixes serving the gods, quietly living while raising their young in a remote mountain area. This was beautifully expressed in his work titled "Temple Phoenix (translated: Chinese Phoenix Serving the Gods)" using about 50 different ingredients. The most challenging part of this work was the feathers of the phoenix, where he had to cut the ingredients to a thickness of just 1 millimeter and arrange them, which was reportedly the most difficult task. In the finals of this competition, he had to complete one Phoenix Platter and seven plates of three types of appetizers within 120 minutes. Despite these tough conditions, Mr. Hamabe showcased his skills and won the gold prize (Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Award). He also won the gold prize (Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award) in the hot dish and poultry category of the same competition when he was 22 years old. Only a few have achieved two crowns so far, and Mr. Hamabe, who achieved this at the age of 35, is said to be the youngest in history.

Realizing a dream since elementary school and pursuing a career in cooking

Mr. Hamabe, who was drawn into the world of cooking by watching his father, a Chinese cuisine chef. After graduating from junior high school, he attended a vocational school for a year, moved to Tokyo from Osaka at the age of 16, and began working at Akasaka Szechuan Restaurant. When he first started working, he spent a tough apprenticeship washing 300 Chinese woks a day. Reflecting on that time, Mr. Hamabe said, "The reason I am able to receive various awards now is because of my apprenticeship period." Mr. Hamabe is about to celebrate his 20th year as a chef. He told us that he wants to focus on mentoring his juniors and hopes to have his own restaurant in the future. We look forward to Mr. Hamabe's future success.