Yoshizawa off to Hyatt competition in Tokyo

Reiji Yoshizawa, a sous chef at Hyatt Regency Saipan whose specialty revolves around French and Italian cuisine, will be the representing Micronesia at the inaugural regional semifinals of the Good Taste Series 2017 that will be held in Tokyo next month.

The annual competition rewards the best of the best among Hyatt kitchens, where chefs are able to showcase their culinary expertise at a competitive level.

The contest was launched in the U.S. mainland six years ago; it is only this year that Hyatt extended the challenge globally, said executive chef Gabriele Colombo.

“So, Yoshizawa is the first chef to represent the Micronesia region,” he added.

Yoshizawa, who was born on Saipan, studied culinary arts. At 19, he flew to Miami Beach, Florida to intern at the Setai Hotel, considered a five-star luxury hotel.

After six months, he was absorbed to become cook 1. After a year he was promoted to demi chef de partie. He is currently Hyatt Regency Saipan’s chef de partie at the young age of 26.

“I worked in Setai Hotel for a total of four years and six months, after which I decided to leave and come back here to Saipan to see how things are going and this curiosity led me to apply at the Hyatt Regency Saipan in 2015,” said Yoshizawa.

Yoshizawa’s talent and skills did not go unnoticed. Colombo was quick to see the young chef’s potential and promoted him to sous chef after a year.

“Knowing his background and experience, I was already impressed when he arrived here. I had a good feeling about his talent, creativity and vision. We immediately put him to work at Giovanni’s Restaurant,” said Colombo.

“We conducted an internal competition among five chefs here at Hyatt Saipan: three sous chefs from Miyako, one from Teppanyaki, and one from Giovanni’s and Yoshizawa was declared the winner. With the upcoming competition, this is a good chance to grow his career,” he added.

According to Yoshizawa, the internal competition allowed him to prepare mentally.

“I think a good preparation is the key. I continuously study and read books on culinary techniques and gain inspiration from other successful chefs who have made a name in this industry to keep me motivated. I focus on every dish and put my heart in it,” he said.

As the competition draws nearer, Yoshizawa recognizes the honor of representing CNMI.

“I feel proud and grateful to be representing Hyatt Regency Saipan. It has been my home for the past two years. I feel nervous sometimes but I also know that this is a good exposure for me because of the level of competition, competing with other international top chefs with great backgrounds will be a good challenge,” he said.

“I know this experience is going to push me harder to be a better individual and a better chef and I thank my Hyatt family—chef Colombo, Miss Claudine [Camacho], my team, and the rest—for their support and trust in me,” Yoshizawa added.

Hyatt marketing communications manager Claudine Camacho said Hyatt management always believes in its homegrown talents.

“Whether an individual comes in fresh from high school or come in as a culinary arts graduate, we always want to push for better success. We encourage our employees to take it a step further. Making one’s self better and these kinds of competitions for our chefs definitely helps in their development. We push everyone to be brighter, bolder, and have bigger experiences,” she said.

If the other international chefs ask him to describe Saipan, Yoshizawa plans to tell them about the island as a dish. “Beautiful, lots of colors, flavorful, and most importantly, there is heart in that dish.”

If Yoshizawa wins the regional semifinals in Tokyo, he will move on to the finals that will be held in Hong Kong on Oct. 30, 2017. The winner from the Asia-Pacific region will then go to Chicago for the grand competition in 2018 at the Hyatt headquarters.