The World's Top Vegan Chef Sees the Possibilities of Food Diversity

Addressing the Need for Diversity in Food

Kusumoto began to address the need to accommodate diverse diets in 2014. When he was working as a chef at a members-only restaurant in Nishi-Azabu, he had a request to accommodate Muslim guests. Since many of the guests were wealthy visitors from overseas, he also began to receive requests to make food for private jets.

When it comes Japanese cuisine made for entertaining guests, local people tend to think of the multi-course kaiseki dinner. However, the Japanese cuisine that foreigners actually prefer is completely different.

"Kaiseki cuisine is for enjoying alcohol, so for Muslims who do not drink alcohol, it may not be enjoyable," says Kusumoto. Before presenting the structure and flavors of authentic Japanese cuisine, it is important to understand guests' religious beliefs and food taboos first so that they can enjoy their meals.

"Everyone wants to eat what we Japanese normally eat, like ramen, oden, and okonomiyaki."

While responding to a variety of requests, he came to believe that the quickest way to satisfy foreign guests is to devise and serve what they really want with ingredients they can eat.

Vegan Cuisine for Everyone, No One Left Out

Since its opening in September 2018, SAIDO has attracted many customers from Japan and abroad every day seeking vegan Japanese cuisine that can only be found here. It is so popular that on the first day of every month, reservations for the next month are quickly filled.

SAIDO does not use animal-derived ingredients, MSG, refined sugar, or the "five pungent roots" including garlic, chives, scallions, shallots, and onions, which are a taboo for some Buddhist vegetarians mainly in Taiwan. It uses the same ingredients as shojin ryori (traditional Buddhist vegetarian dishes) but offers variety of dishes that satisfy both stomach and soul, like noodles, rice bowls, and fried foods.

"As an example, someone books a course at a vegan restaurant for a vegan partner's birthday. But if the person who books the reservation doesn't find vegan food to be satisfying, they won't be able to truly enjoy the time spent with their partner. At SAIDO, we want all our customers to be satisfied."

SAIDO places the utmost importance on customers, whether vegan or non-vegan, eating the same food, sharing delicious dishes, and enjoying time together. Kusumoto's idea of ideal food diversity is that people get closer together by "eating rice from the same pot" as the Japanese saying goes.

Taking on the World with Japan's Unique Traditional Ingredients

Kusumoto is also active overseas. In 2023, he held a pop-up event called SAIDO's Vegan Way at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, a hub for promoting Japanese culture. In a city with cutting edge food technology, he chose not to use any ingredients created with food tech and instead used traditional Japanese ingredients. He feels confident about the results.

"The overwhelming difference between Japan and overseas is that Japan originally had a vegetarian culture. There are many recipes for vegetable dishes and preserved foods, and you can surprise the world if you just use ingredients and wisdom that have been passed down for generations."

At the event, many people were surprised by the flavor and texture of rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms. They were also impressed by the sustainability of using the rehydrating liquid as broth. Ingredients that Japanese people take for granted are full of surprises and possibilities for vegans overseas.

When Kusumoto travels within Japan, he always visits local shops and markets in search of Japanese ingredients and cooking methods unknown to the world. He often reworks local traditional dishes to make them more palatable for foreign guests.

In addition to having varieties that can be enjoyed in different seasons, Japan's vegetables are also highly regarded worldwide for their high quality. SAIDO's signature summer dish, corn soup, has delighted everyone who tried it because of the sweetness of the corn itself.

It Starts with Knowing about Veganism

Vegan and vegetarian populations are on the rise worldwide, reaching around 530 million in 2023. Conversely, Tokyo has 119 vegan restaurants and more than 700 restaurants with vegetarian menus according to HappyCow as of 2024. While there has been a slight increase in the number, there is still a shortage of places to eat, given the recent increase in foreign tourists and the global vegan and vegetarian population.

Kusumoto says that restaurants do not need to create a "special menu" to become vegan- and vegetarian-friendly. Typical Japanese bars, for example, should already have vegan dishes on the menu, such as edamame, hiyayakko (chilled tofu), french fries, and onigiri (rice ball).

"When a vegan foreign tourist unexpectedly comes to your restaurant, you might get worried because you don't know how to accommodate them. But it is they who are more worried than you."

When a vegan person goes to a country where they do not speak the language, they might not be able to find restaurants that serve vegan food. Food labels are all written in Japanese even at convenience stores and they do not know what ingredients are used. The country's appeal as a destination will be diminished if they cannot enjoy the food with peace of mind. That would be a shame for them and a missed opportunity for restaurants.

"We already know what the problem is, all we have to do is solve it. It means there is room for growth, and addressing food diversity brings nothing but possibilities and opportunities."

What restaurants need is to change to a mindset focusing on opening doors with flexibility and a little imagination.

Kusumoto was appointed as Tokyo Tourism Ambassador in 2023 and has been engaged in activities to promote diversity in food, such as holding seminars for restaurants in Tokyo. "You can eat all kinds of food in Tokyo. This fierce competition raises chefs to a higher level," Kusumoto said, adding that he expects the quality of food to improve further in the future from trying to meet a wide range of tourist needs.

Kusumoto is also interested in educating young cooks who will represent Japan in the future. "Our mission is to pass on not only cooking skills, but also the importance of food diversity."

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SAIDO is in the same building as a gardening shop and a cafe.

SAIDO's logo design gives off a mellow impression.

Inside SAIDO.

Artwork by Tanimura Noriaki for the pop-up event "SAIDO's Vegan Way".

Vegan grilled eel served at the pop-up event.　Art Direction / NORIAKI TANIMURA　Photography / HIROSHI TAKIGAWA

Vegan yakitori (grilled chicken) served at the pop-up event.　Art Direction / NORIAKI TANIMURA　Photography / HIROSHI TAKIGAWA

Chef Kusumoto lectures at a cooking school in the USA.

Chef Kusumoto is interviewed by American media.

Kusumoto Katsumi

Executive Chef at SAIDO Restaurant, Mr. Katsumi Kusumoto was born in Okayama Prefecture. After graduating from Culinary Institute in Osaka at age 19, Katsumi worked at high quality French cuisine restaurants and hotels in Tokyo, where he developed and refined his culinary techniques. After spending many years practising French cuisine, he got interested in the delicate taste of Japanese cuisine and changed his career to Japanese cuisine chef. For 9 years, he was appointed as Executive Chef at Kusumoto, a members-only restaurant, located in the heart of fine dining of Tokyo city.
In February 2023, he was appointed as "Tokyo Metropolitan Tourism Ambassador".