MONOSUS
ICECREAMING MAG

Taste and share the roots of food
Screening report for the film "Eating is Living: Alice Waters' Delicious Revolution"

Hello! I'm Mukai from CIMI restaurant . CIMI restaurant is a restaurant that is open in the evenings at FarmMart & Friends . I cook there.

On June 2nd, we held a screening of the film " Eating is Living: Alice Waters' Delicious Revolution " for members of MONOSUS, including MONOSUS Shokken and eatrip , Rich Soil , and related companies.
This film is a documentary that captures the visit of Alice Waters, owner of the restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, USA, to Japan two years ago.
During his visit to Japan, he also visited Kamiyama Town in Tokushima, and the video includes footage of a dinner party with members of the Food Hub Project , farmers connected to FarmMart & Friends, and local residents, as well as Manabe's talk.

Alice was a huge influence on my journey as a chef, and it was what I learned from her words and her philosophy on food that led me to meet Jerome, the owner and chef of CIMI, and start CIMI.
I believe he has had a major influence on the food-related business that Monosus is involved in.

The film has already been screened in various places, but I didn't want it to just be something to watch and then forget about, I wanted it to be an experience that would lead to something new, so I decided I wanted to watch it with Monosas and everyone close to me who is involved.
Also, Alice's thoughts on food and her stories about food are not just for people who work in the food industry. I wanted people who are not directly involved in the food industry to know about it, so I consulted with Manabe and was able to create a place where many people could watch the show together.

About 70 people participated on the day, and it became a bigger event than we expected. The management team was started by Tane-chan, Fukazawa Natsu-chan , who is widely involved in Monosus and the Food Hub Project, and Kimi-san. There are many things we need to think about to make it a better environment and a better time. We asked many people to help us, and we relied on each person's area of expertise: Takeda-san for the movie projection method and sound, Tatsuta-san, Kojima-san, and Harazawa-san for the drinks, Sekiguchi-kun for the photo recording, Mochizuki-san and Iwasaki-san for the reception, the Blind Donkey team for food support, and Ito Genki-san , who is an acquaintance of Manabe-san, for the video recording. Everyone was really reliable, and we felt a sense of security all at once!
We had some major concerns about the venue's construction, particularly in terms of projecting the film onto a screen so that a large number of people could watch it, but the video team did their best to make preparations, even doing a test screening the day before.

We will introduce the day through photos taken by Sekiguchi-kun and Kimi-san , and a video filmed and edited by Ito Genki-san.

The venue was Meiji Park Market , and the event started with a movie screening as the sun began to set.
After watching the movie, we shared our impressions over a meal with the people sitting at the same table.
The drinks were prepared by bartender Tatsuta, Kojima who makes Monosasu Beer, and Harazawa from Hikers Gin !
The Blind Donkey team helped serve the meals!
The venue, Meiji Park Market, prepared food using ingredients from producers who have a connection to Alice's ideas.
Manabe-san and JJ-san, who runs Meiji Park Market. JJ-san also used to work at Chez Panisse, and he conveyed the worldview of the movie through his cooking!

Once everyone was full, Manabe moderated a talk session with eatrip's Nomura Yuri, Rich Soil's Jerome, and Arai, who oversees Monosus's food solutions as a whole.

Alice spoke about her activities and how they relate to the projects we are working on. The speakers were all people who have personally guided, taught, and supported me to get to where I am today, so it was a truly wonderful time.

Yuri Nomura from eatrip was the one who created the strong connection between us and Alice. We asked her how she felt when she first encountered Chez Panisse, and how she feels now, after all this time.
Jerome has worked at Chez Panisse for about 30 years.
Why has Chez Panisse and Alice come to have such an impact on so many people? And what about Japanese food and culture, which are linked to Chez Panisse's cuisine? These are questions that only he, who has spent so long at Chez Panisse, could ask.
Why did Arai, who has been so successful up until now, decide to start a food business with Monosus? We asked Arai about his thoughts, which are in line with those of Alice in the film, and his plans for the future.

It was a fairly large event, and we were able to make it happen thanks to the cooperation of many people.
It was a very enjoyable and rewarding experience to be able to create this experience with people I don't normally have the opportunity to work with.

Jerome's interpreter was Satoko Mitsui of Four Peas Flowers , a producer of "slow flowers" in Fujino, Kanagawa Prefecture, who grows flowers in tune with the seasons and the natural rhythm of nature.
The reception staff at headquarters, Mochizuki-san and Iwasaki-san, were very welcoming.
Tane-chan, who oversaw the whole project and coordinated it
Takeda-san and Natsuka Fukazawa from the video team
Photographer, Sekiguchi-kun!

Regarding the screening of the film, I wondered how everyone who attended felt when they watched it. I wondered if I was forcing my opinion on them. Later, I read the comments I received and was very happy to read everyone's comments, such as how the film deepened their understanding of the food industry and changed their attitude towards eating. They tried to carefully convey what they felt during the session. I felt relieved and glad that we were able to watch the film together again.

This film is about how, even if the scale and field of an organization like CIMI restorant is different, we are all part of one organization and spend our days together. It is thanks to the efforts of all the people that we are able to continue our activities to support producers and food for people who eat. I secretly wanted to convey my feelings of respect to all of these people.

This is something I felt as I have always preferred working in small organizations, but having seen Monosus, which is a very large company from close up, and receiving a lot of support from them.

As I look back at the photos of the day in preparation for writing this report, I can sense scenes that I wasn't able to see on the day, such as everyone's expressions as they watched the movie intently, people chatting with other members with enjoyment, members enthusiastically serving sparkling food, and people eating the food with gusto.
There are some of you who I haven't spoken to much yet, but as I saw the various expressions on everyone's faces, I felt once again that it was a good time, and I wonder what path everyone took to get to this place, whether they wanted to or not (laughs), and what exciting adventures we can have from now on that will excite all of you who have met here, and all of you, and those beyond you.

It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I've come to realise that it is quite a miracle to be able to encounter someone like that in the limited time we have in life.
Whether we want it to or not (laughs), I wonder what kind of exciting adventures we can have in the future that will excite all of you who have come across this place, everyone, and those beyond it.
I want to create a future where everyone can live a better life.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who helped make this film screening possible, and everyone who participated and helped create that special occasion!


You can watch the talk held after the film here.

MUKAI Tomo

Born in Osaka. After working for an environmental NPO in Ibaraki Prefecture, he entered the food and beverage industry after volunteering during the Great East Japan Earthquake. After working at several restaurants, he was granted an internship at Chez Panisse, a restaurant that had a major impact on him. After returning to Japan, he met Jerome Waag and participated in the launch of theBlindDonkey. He is currently the chef at CIMI restaurant, which opened in the evenings at FarmMart&Friends as a new project by RichSoil & Co. Photo: Takahashi Manami