Sumibi Kushiyaki Fuku of Yoyogi Uehara

Artisan Introduction: Ryouhei Ooshima

Hailing from a background in Japan’s respected western sweets and pastry industry, Ryouhei brings a special flare to his work which stems from his special attention to fine detail.

Although at first he was not used to using a full sized kitchen knife, having been limited to smaller knives used for fine detail, resulting in multiple injuries, he has since become used to his new role. He made it through a very hard training period, and demonstrated his ability to remember everything he is taught even under pressure.

He has come to deeply understand the composure of the grill and has demonstrated a mastery and control of the fire, understanding it’s depth. Feeling the condition of the charcoal, he truly understands his art through experience and technique.

He’s always a happy face on our grill, understanding his duties, but also understanding that improvement is only achieved through joviality in work.

Artisan Introduction: Ryouta Ishida

Originally a member of Japan’s army of suited “salarymen”, Ryouta never gave up on his dreams (of Yakitori). When looking for a place to study, he found Fuku, the little shop from the Michelin guide.

Since joining the ranks… Starting from preparation and moving on to hospitality, and food cooking technique, he has learnt a lot from the experience offered here, and finds the varied backgrounds of the other artisans to be a great inspiration.

Since early on in his time in the shop, he has delighted in taking responsibility, and acquiring skills, and being allowed to take on roles very important to the running of the shop. He finds that having his own space and workstation in a busy environment allows him to work easier and smoother than before.

Working in a very busy active restaurant environment, time flies, but even so, small moments stand out. He is very happy to be in an environment with a direct relationship with his customers, and relishes receiving praise. He is happiest when someone calls his food “delicious”, taking great pride in his work.

He is very highly motivated by providing a great service. He still dreams the dream.