One more reason to stay closer to my customers!

After a certain period of very intense work, probably perhaps more spent in the office between meetings and projects I decided to change the direction of my occupation, perhaps better said, to return to my base!! By base I mean the kitchen, my restaurants, my habits, my knives, my staff and above all my CUSTOMERS. Recently I started a new adventure that has separated me from my second home – Japan. This was a very difficult decision for me, since for the last 30 years, I have spent most of my energy developing and strengthening my name in the country, with a portfolio of 100 restaurants split amongst different regions.

This was definitely one of the most satisfying achievements that can exist as a chef and in the restaurant industry (indeed more than one). Not only was I able to become a champion of Neapolitan pizza making, to lead one of the the amazing teams responsible for making the longest pizza in the world (recorded in the Guinness World Records), to be part of the committee responsible for the incorporation of the art of Neapolitan pizza making – pizzaiuolo (Pizza Maker) on the UNESCO intangible heritage list and finally, to list my company on the Tokyo stock market. I can easily say that I’m absolutely the happiest pizzaiuolo in the world!!

However, I still felt that something very important was missing. This kind of success has kept me away from my staff, my kitchens and above all my CUSTOMERS. I don’t want tire you with too many words so, simply put, I decided to leave my position as C.O.O. of my former company so that I could give more support to my staff, transmit all my knowledge, be more present in my kitchens and spend more time with you – my valued and cherished clients, with a focus on creating more events in various places throughout the year. “Now I have one more reason to stay with my clients”. These are the photos of the first event I did (since I started my individual adventure) on July 3rd, 2019 at The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo Ginza – still and continuously in close collaboration with my former chefs and service staff.

It was a wonderful party, where we presented the new summer menu, live cooking show, live music & loads of fun!! I want to thank all the staff, Fior di Maso , Ca Form Japan & FoodLiner Japan for all their support and especially a HUGE thanks to all of you, who helped me become the chef I am today! Without you all, I would not be where I am right now. I love you and I look forward to the next event that I will do at The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo Nagoya on 30 October 2019 to celebrate “The Halloween Night”. I hope to see you all in Nagoya Baci Baci Baci!!!

Published by Salvatore Cuomo

Salvatore Cuomo was born in Naples, Italy, in 1972, son of an Italian father and Japanese mother. Cuomo was first inspired by his father who also was an Italian Chef in Naples. He began at the young age of 11, where he trained himself in the kitchen and traveled frequently between Italy and Japan. He gradually learned how to blend the traditional Italian art of cooking with the Japanese art of perfection. A few years later he traveled to Japan with his father who opened an Italian restaurant in Chiba in 1984. About those early years Salvatore told the press that it wasn't a good starting experience: "I didn’t like Japan at all, so after one year, I went back to Italy and spent 2–3 years studying at a culinary school. When I was 18, I returned to Japan after my father became terminally ill and I have been here ever since."[3] Cuomo said that Italian Cuisine was just starting to get popular in those days. He and his two brothers decided that in order to succeed in the restaurant business in Japan they would have to understand the Japanese food mentality. They spent a couple of years researching the market before opening a new restaurant in Tokyo with what Cuomo calls "Original Neapolitan pizza." Since that time, Cuomo has been credited with catapulting Neapolitan pizza to fame in Japan, and today in all Asia with over 100 restaurant.

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