Terai Yukiya,the Happy Chef,Gives Cooking Tips to Delight Both the Cook and the Diner

Red, green, brown, yellow, white … the vibrant colors of each ingredient in the oval-shaped bento box pop. Although each ingredient stands out beautifully in its own right, when they are arranged together in the box, they meld in a wonderous and harmonious way like a painting. They are so appetizing even as they look unreal, and yet what spreads on the palate is the gentle, nostalgic taste of home cooking.

The prepared meals made by Terai Yukiya, the Happy Chef, have the power to captivate people twice: once when they see the meal and again when they eat it. We spoke with him about his passion for food that stimulates all five senses and his tips for creating meals that bring joy to the body and the soul.

The enticement is in the eye-catching beauty and the tasteful seasonings

Vivid colors, a feast for the eyes, and delicious to eat.

Terai opened the Yukiyameshi [literally Yukiya’s eats] catering service on his own in 2015. The dishes he offered immediately mesmerized fashion-conscious models and actresses who encountered his food during photo shoots for TV ads and magazines, and his service quickly built up a solid reputation, spread by word of mouth.
In 2018, wanting more people to enjoy his Yukiyameshi meals, he opened the Yukiyameshi deli and catering outlet in Tokyo’s Nakameguro district. Yukiyameshi is now popular with people of all ages, especially after adding a Shibuya outlet, his first in a shopping complex.

Yukiyameshi arrived a while before the trend of posting ultra-glamorous photos on social media. Terai’s distinct style had already piqued the keen noses of people in the industry, ahead of the age when people would adore anything photogenic.

Surface attraction alone, however, is not enough to engage people’s hearts and stomachs. While things that glitter go in and out of fashion, the reason why so many people still love Yukiyameshi to this day is the genuine taste appeal of Terai’s cooking.

Terai’s meals entice you with their homey flavors that are never too out there, somewhat contrary to their flowery appearance. His offerings include tender deep-fried chicken marinated in salted koji [rice malt], grilled mackerel, and homemade marinated boiled eggs, which are sure to be familiar to nearly everyone. Moreover, the ingredients, such as plump oysters, salmon, and black natto [fermented soybeans], that he uses to top his compact inarizushi [sushi wrapped in fried tofu] are free of chemical seasonings and are only mildly flavored to better permeate the body.

“Catering and deli foods are generally not eaten immediately after preparation. So it’s imperative that the food taste good even when eaten cold. The ideas that guide me are season, aroma, and texture, and I’m always conscious of creating appearances and tastes that whet the appetite even after the passage of time.”

If you create food from the diner’s POV, then the cook will surely be happy too

Terai’s origin story as a cook begins at his family home in Kagoshima prefecture where he was born and raised. His parents ran a guesthouse, and his grandfather was a sushi chef. It wasn’t long before Terai was working in the kitchen in place of his mother, who was extremely busy with work, and his older brother, who helped out with the family business.

“I started making meals for my three siblings when I was in Grade 3. I guess I always liked cooking. It never bothered me to cook and once I was in junior high, I got more creative, trying to concoct drink snacks for my grandfather and adding twists to regular dishes. I was so pleased whenever my family enjoyed my original ideas.”

After stints working in the restaurant industry and the apparel industry, he did some soul searching and eventually returned to the world of cooking. Even after launching Yukiyameshi, he has continued to develop dishes with the single-minded desire to make diners happy. And he feels just as delighted now when someone compliments his cooking as he did when he was a child.

“If your repertoire of dishes is small, you’ll find cooking to be tedious, and if no one compliments your cooking, you’ll probably feel like a paid housekeeper. I’m sure housewives and househusbands get this feeling.
“You might feel like demanding understanding and praise from others in return for your cooking. But if you work to expand your repertoire and create dishes that make the diners happy, you will naturally see things in a different light. With a bit of effort, you can create a virtuous cycle between the cook and the diners.”

Terai himself had a period where he felt pressured to cook and stopped enjoying it. This time came after his first year in business, during which he had worked feverishly on his own to complete nearly 10,000 meal orders. He realized more and more people now had high expectations for his meals.

In order to serve food with more confidence, he accepted that he had to come to terms more honestly with the fact that he was making food for others to eat. He began taking two days off a week from catering and traveled to Kyushu. Over the next six months, he visited almost 60 farms and got to know the producers. By relearning from square one how to make vegetables and rice, Terai got back on the track to creating food that makes the most of its ingredients and delights the body and soul.
The rice Yukiyameshi now uses are blends of rice from farmers Terai met during his sojourns that are carefully curated to match each dish.

Consciously choosing seasonal ingredients and ingredients never seen before

After overcoming these hurdles, Terai now cooks enthusiastically, thinking about the happiness of the people who will eat his meals. We asked him what people should keep in mind to enjoy daily kitchen work as much as he does.

“What I tell people a lot is change how you shop. It’s tempting to fill your shopping cart with the most convenient items or your go-to items, but I suggest picking up seasonal items or unusual items, even if just one during each shopping trip. If you combine regular items with seasonal fare, you will find yourself cooking new dishes without getting bored.”

In an age when you can find any number of online recipes, dishes using new ingredients will inspire both the cook and the diners and will add spice to a staid dining table.

Terai adds, “Another point is to buy ingredients with a variety of colors.” If seasonal produce is green, try adding other colors to your shopping cart, such as orange carrots or purple eggplants. This will get you closer to colorful and nutritionally balanced meals.

“I also recommend using seasonings that harness the power of fermentation to bring out the natural sweetness and umami flavors of ingredients. These can be mirin rice wine, oyster sauce, salted koji, saké lees, or olive oil. At any given time, there will be some trendy seasonings, but I believe that standard seasonings like salted koji suit the Japanese palate and enhance the flavor of dishes.
“I think it’s important to ask yourself basic questions like ‘What is this?’ and ‘How can I make it tastier?’ I suggest you spend more time mindfully interacting with seasonal ingredients and seasonings.”