Chef Toshiro Ogata from Ogata (緒方) Kyoto
Monday, December 29 2025
The first-ever collaboration of chef Toshiro Ogata in Kyoto. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience Kyoto and New York on a single table - and experience the beauty of restraint chef Ogata has perfected
On Monday, December 29, l’abeille will host the first-ever collaboration legendary chef Toshiro Ogata (Ogata, Kyoto) has ever done with our very own Mitsunobu Nagae.
The evening brings together Japanese kaiseki and French haute cuisine - two traditions grounded in craftsmanship, seasonality, and balance. It is a meeting of Kyoto’s quiet precision and the expressive structure of French gastronomy - with Chef Ogata expressing his philosophy - the “art of subtraction” - to every course.
For one night only, the chefs will create a tasting menu that explores conversation rather than fusion: French sauces beside kaiseki broths, winter ingredients from Kyoto and New York interpreted with restraint and harmony.
More than a collaboration, this dinner is a dialogue between two philosophies - French technique and Japanese purity - united by their devotion to craft, the rhythm of the seasons, and the pursuit of flavor at its most essential.
Chef Toshiro Ogata | 緒方 俊郎
Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1966, Chef Toshiro Ogata is one of Japan’s most respected kaiseki masters, celebrated for his refined expression of Kyoto’s culinary traditions. After training at the legendary Kyoto ryokan Hiiragiya and later serving as head chef at the renowned restaurant Wakuden, Ogata opened his eponymous restaurant “Ogata” in 2008 in Kyoto’s Shimogyo district.
His philosophy is rooted in “hikizan no ryōri” — the art of subtraction: distilling technique to its essence and allowing the innate character of each ingredient to shine. In his hands, a single seasonal vegetable or a piece of charcoal-grilled fish becomes a study in balance, purity, and quiet intensity.
Since earning two Michelin stars shortly after opening, Ogata has continued to define contemporary kaiseki through simplicity, harmony, and deep respect for Japan’s natural seasons. His Kyoto machiya restaurant embodies his spirit — minimal, elegant, and deeply connected to the land and producers who inspire his cuisine.
