アマゾンの生産者や国内の限界集落の農家のもとへ、自ら足を運び続けてきたシェフ・太田哲雄。軽井沢「LA CASA DI Tetsuo Ota」を率いる太田シェフは、直接取引を通じて、生産者が報われるサステナブルな仕組みづくりに長年取り組んできました。そして、新たに携わり始めたのが、50年後の日本の食を見据えた水耕栽培プロジェクト。守ることで続く食文化と、変えることで続く食文化。その両方を、料理を通じて来場者に問いかけます。

Chef Tetsuo Ota has spent years traveling in person to meet producers in the Amazon and farmers in Japan’s depopulating mountain villages. Through direct trade, he has long worked to build sustainable systems where producers are fairly rewarded. His newest endeavor is a hydroponics project focused on what Japan’s food supply might look like fifty years from now. A food culture that endures by being preserved, and a food culture that endures by being changed — Ota poses both through his cooking.

ブランド名：AMAZON CACAO
太田 哲雄
長野県出身。19歳でイタリアに渡り修業後、スペインの＜エルブジ＞、ペルーの＜アストリッド・イ・ガストン＞などで研鑽を積む。現在＜LA CASA DI Tetsuo Ota＞を運営。同名のレストランとカカオブランドを運営。2022年7月には＜MADRE＞をオープン。料理を通じた社会貢献やカカオの魅力を広める活動を行っています。

Tetsuo Ota
Originally from Nagano Prefecture, Tetsuo Ota moved to Italy at nineteen to begin his culinary training. He went on to hone his craft at acclaimed restaurants including elBulli in Spain and Astrid y Gastón in Peru.
He now runs LA CASA DI Tetsuo Ota and the cacao brand AMAZON CACAO. In July 2022, he opened MADRE. His work explores how food can make a positive contribution to society while introducing a wider audience to the richness and versatility of cacao.