Akila Inouye,
Soba and Japanese cooking artist.
Has reported by LA Times (click the pic to read the PDF.)
Akila Inouye is the founder and the master chef of Tokyo cooking studio. It was established as Tsukiji Soba Academy in 2002 at a very close point to the world’s biggest fish market. Afterward, he needed to expand his class by offering Japanese home cooking and soba making to meet his customers’ desirous requests. Today, he also conducts Japanese cooking lessons as the master chef of the Japanese Cooking Academy at the Tokyo cooking studio.
Akila has developed the most intelligent way to make soba noodles by hand and practical Japanese cooking with his sophisticated technique and wealth of knowledge.
He speaks English and Japanese and offers soba and Japanese cooking class to give excellent culinary experiences to people worldwide.
Four won Michelin prizes, and the other two started their soba restaurants in the US. Most of his graduates are thriving today.
In 2002 just two months later of the Tsukiji Soba Academy’s establishment. Steve Jobs passed away in 2011, ex-CEO of Apple Computer Inc offered his private chef to learn soba-making techniques from Akila. It is a well-known fact that Apple started to serve authentic Japanese soba noodles in their company restaurant, MacCafe, in 2003.
In 2009, he started his breakthrough action toward the world in the US with the coast-to-coast culinary tour. He organized many soba demonstrations and workshops in New York, Dallas, San Francisco, and
Los Angeles at where he had reported by Los Angeles Times.
Soba class in the US.
On the 2010’s new year’s eve, he showed up on the front page of the Los Angeles Times. The article was a particular issue and contributed the authentic soba recipe and introduced the soba world with many pictures.
Akila once returned to Los Angeles in June 2010 to offer over 20 workshops in handmade soba and Japanese home cooking sessions. He succeeded in his pop-up soba restaurant for a week on his tour. Many food lovers crowded the temporary restaurant in West Hollywood. So many US people realized the great taste and texture of 100% whole gluten-free buckwheat noodles there with a big sound slurping.
Akila has written many culinary books in Japanese.
He is one of the contributing editors and writers of “The Dictionary of Cookery Terms” 2010 Japanese edition. Akila’s latest soba technical book has published by Asahiya Syuppan.
Akila was born and raised in Tokyo and enjoyed Tokyo-style cuisine. Soba and Japanese dishes are both his favorites. His cooking principle is “Being smart and radical.” That is why he is keeping himself a soba and Japanese cooking artisan and seeking the absolute cookery essentials.