Chef Profile

Chef Profile

Ristorante Alporto
Owner Chef Kataoka Mamoru
Date of birth: September 15, 1948

Kataoka Mamoru was born in Meguro Ward, Tokyo, shortly after the war, as the youngest of four siblings.
His father passed away shortly after his birth, and his mother raised his children alone using her home as a boarding house. However, he recalls that he was raised by a friendly boy, not the lonely family that is common in single-parent families, but a lively home surrounded by the love of many housemates, including students and workers.

I came across Italian cuisine when I was in middle school.
The first time he feasted was a "carbonara" made by the wife of a diplomat, who is an acquaintance of his mother. Mr. Kataoka's memorable taste will become his calling for the future.

Eventually, he aims to become an industrial designer and even ronin to become a ronin, but fails.
Although he was called the University of Arts, his choices were not aimed at painting or design, but rather made with an eye on his future work, which reminded him of his future lifestyle.
Coincidentally, the diplomat, who feasted on the "Carbonara," said in an attempt to encourage him, "If that's not possible, become a cock and come along with me." These words became truly a reality, and accompanying Milan as a chef with the Japanese consul general opened the way.

Kataoka Chef was both an adventurer and a hard worker.
Three months before going to Milan. He washed the pot at Tsukiji Tamura and trained in chopping. On the set of EpiRecipe, we learn about the origins of the delicate stripping of burdock and carrots and Japanese-style knife handling that our staff occasionally show us.
Chef Kataoka, who was assigned to the Italian consul general, spent busy days cooking Italian food in the day and Japanese food in the evening, but once a week he went around the local market to learn Italian food and went to many kitchens.
At that moment, he discovers Dalino, a restaurant that will change his life.

"Dalino was a restaurant where you can eat up to a dozen small plates, just like Japanese cuisine. Italian food is large plates and is packed with a lot of volume, which was shocking."
Those who have visited his shop at least once may know.
This is where Chef Kataoka's service style begins, where he enjoys a large amount of food in small quantities.
There was also another restaurant in Milan that determined the style of chef Kataoka.
The shop is called "Alporto." It was a seafood specialty restaurant run by the owner Domenico.
The restaurant was lined with freshly picked fish, and the restaurant visitors chose what they wanted and cooked them in a variety of ways.
We were able to order what we like from the appetizers lined up.
He's a little 23 years old. Chef Kataoka, who visited the restaurant many times because he liked the style, taste and service, said he visited Domenico in 1983 when he opened "Alporto" and received permission to use the same name.

Al Porto means "at the port" in Italian.
The word port means the beginning (departing) and ending (returning to the port). It also represents the beginning and end of life. Chef Kataoka really sympathized with these words and the hospitality of the restaurant.

Five years after boldly moving to Italy at the age of 20, Chef Kataoka began training again in Japan.
A diplomat who helped me out said, "Train at the most strict store in Japan." With that in mind, I chose "Ogawaken." Actually, this is an eye-opener here too. At this time, Ogawaken was already serving dishes on small plates.
Chef Kataoka, who has absorbed a variety of dishes in Italy without any preconceived notions, trained for two years, while being highly respected at Ogawaken. He spent another year training in Italy.

28 years old. He eventually opened Marie, a popular restaurant that he met while training in Italy, with Igarashi Yoshiyoshi. Chef Kataoka's first restaurant.
Marieh has been packed every day for six years since it first opened. There are over a dozen items, from hors d'oeuvres to desserts. "Kaiseki-style small plate dishes" is an Italian dish that was created based on the small plate dishes I came across at Dalino, Milan. This sparked the Italian boom in Japan and Chef Kataoka became the man of time. However, the contract with the owner, Mr. Igarashi, has been in six years.
Igarashi doesn't want to lose the chef at a popular restaurant, and Kataoka is now 34 years old.
The time was when he told the chef that he was independent.

At the age of 20, he has been to Italy for 14 years.
Chef Kataoka put his anchor at his own "port" called "Al Porto."

The sea is not always calm. Some days are sunny, and some storms are coming.
This year marks 33 years since Tokyo Disneyland opened in 1983 when it first appeared in Japan. In an era when the 10th year of the bubble economy continued from 1986 to 1991, the Lehman shock and the earthquakes in various regions, not only Alporto, but also restaurants and the movement to "enjoy food" in the first place was not necessarily going well, Chef Kataoka continued to quietly serve food at Alporto.

Chef Kataoka appears on various TV shows. Chef Kataoka brings food education to children all over the country. A chef boards a luxury cruise ship. A chef who excels at the Milan Expo. And the chefs who train future chefs. Sometimes I wonder if someone called Kataoka Mamoru will take a break.
However, Chef Kataoka always remains the same in the restaurant.
The two of you welcome the customers with that smile, and when the customers want to take a photo together, Niko responds to Nico and entertains them with the Kataoka style Italian cuisine.

In 2015, this chef was awarded the "Modern Master Craftsman (Award for Exceptional Skills by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)." At the award party, the words of a friend chef, who was one of the founders, were very impressive.
"What's amazing about Kataoka is that no matter how popular he is, no matter how much the store sells, he never has a second store. Alporto. Even if you separate the sign, Kataoka Mamoru has only one store. Of all famous Japanese chefs, there's not a lot of people like this."

He was awarded the Yellow Ribbon Medal as a reward for the spring of 2021. The Yellow Ribbon Medal is a reward given to those who have worked hard on this path, and has been given a reward for their contribution to the development and spread of Italian cuisine over the years.

Kataoka Mamoru's shop is "Alporto".
Why not visit it once?

Article: Ryuzoji Temple Crow