Rio, one of the most fascinating or should say hottest cities in the world, will get even hotter. The already exciting food scene in this Brazilian beauty, will be celebrated with an amazing evening created by two great chefs. Alberto Landgraf of Oteque in Rio, which opened last year, but has already been named as the best new restaurant in Rio, is inviting to Rio one of the best chefs from Milan in Italy, Yoji Tokuyoshi of the Michelin starred Tokuyoshi in Milan and Alter Ego in Tokyo.

Alberto Landgraf is very proud of his Japanese roots. His mother, who died few years ago, has taught him respect for life and people that suround him and discpline to make everything he does with perfection and utter respect. In an homage to her, Alberto is this year inviting to Rio a Japanese chef, living in Milan, Italy, Yoji Tokuyoshi, to take together a journey through their Japanese roots and the influences of the countries which they now call their home: Italy and Brazil.

Yoji Tokuyoshi, who has on 4th February opened also a restaurant in Tokyo, Alter Ego, located in the ex premises of Den by Zaiyu Hasegawa, will in Brazil cook with Alberto Landgraf two evenings. On 18th March for the invited journalists and friends and on 19th March for the wider public.

Between the dishes, prepared by Yoji, there will be also three of his signature dishes: “Pizza delivery”, “Tajarin with Katsobushi” and “Gyotaku”. It will be an exciting evening for all the food lovers.

About Yoji Tokuyoshi:

Born in Japan, Yoji Tokuyoshi grew up in the small town of Tottori. Coming from a long family history of pharmacists his choice of gastronomy was rather unorthodox. Yet, at the age of 18, he left his native hometown to attend a catering school in Tokyo where he followingly worked at numerous Italian restaurants. A decade later, and hungry for more, Yoji embarked upon what would prove to be a life-changing trip to Italy. This trip turned into eight years at Osteria Francescana and staging at some of the most esteemed chefs like Adrià Ferran. As the sous-chef of Massimo Bottura, he learnt about the Italian cuisine and its long-rooted tradition. With the desire to create something new, Yoji Tokuyoshi opened his own restaurant, Ristorante Tokuyoshi, in Milan on February 4, 2015. In December 2015 it received its first Michelin star. Ristorante Tokuyoshi curates an Italian cuisine interpreted with the eye and philosophy of a Japanese – the Contaminated Italian Cuisine. At Ristorante Tokuyoshi, Yoji’s cuisine takes a starting point in his memory and creativity. The concept of contamination is limited only to ideas. Each and every dish has distinctive Italian flavours and aromas. Free of the Italian cuisine’s dogma, Yoji uses Italian ingredients and the craftsmanship and techniques of his native culture. This is first and foremost illustrated through Ristorante Tokuyoshi’s signature dish, Gyotaku, which portraits the story of Japanese fishermen transforming their caught fish into works of art by transferring their prints onto canvas. Additionally, each dish is served with a paired broth that adds and augments the flavor of the dish and invites diners to stop for a moment, sip the broth as the classic Japanese gesture, and to, thus, pay attention to the food, the liquid, the textures, their scents, and overall taste. Cuisine at Ristorante is far from fusion that is merely the merging of two cuisines. Yoji’s cuisine is the merging of cultures aimed at innovation; something that goes beyond tradition and comfort. As his two great sources of inspiration Yoji’s draws upon the Italian cuisine and the Japanese culture in all its entirety. While the Italian food culture varies greatly from region to region and is closely connected to the terroir, the seemingly simplistic cuisine of Japan more fluidly communicates its ancient history and unique ingredients. Each dish is the result of that perfect balance, that we tirelessly seek between these two elements. 

About Alberto Landgraf:

Alberto Landgraf, one of the leading young chefs in Brazil, started cooking in England in the early 2000s. After working with Tom Aikens and Gordon Ramsay among others, he returned to Brazil to open his own restaurant Epice in Sao Paulo. Epice won many accolades, among them a Michelin star, and has been listed as the best contemporary restaurant in Sao Paulo by many local magazines, Alberto has been named South American rising star by the FOUR magazine. His naturalist Brazilian cooking was focused on vegetables and relied on sourcing the best ingredients and usage of modern and traditional techniques to enhance the natural flavours. 

In February 2018 Alberto relocated to Rio de Janeiro for family reasons and opened Oteque, focusing on his Japanese heritage – not through ingredients, but through simplicity, precise technique and high ethics. Oteque has just a few months after the opening won a spot at the Latin America’s 50 Best list, as well as many local awards, including the GQ magazine’s Men of the Year in the restaurant business. Without forgetting the human relationship between the producers, staff and clients, Alberto’s creative style strives not only for excellence on the plate but strongly supporting fair trade and trying to make the world a nicer place for all involved within the food chain.

Waiting list: info@oteque.com  (the dinner is already sold out)

Further inquiries about Yoji Tokuyosh: pr@ristorantetokuyoshi.com

Further inquiries about Alberto Landgraf: andreja.lajh@hautdegamme.net