Hotel News
APPOINTMENT OF TETSUYA YANAGIDA AS EXECUTIVE JAPANESE CHEF - BENKAY JAPANESE RESTAURANT HOTEL NIKKO KUALA LUMPUR
Hotel Nikko Kuala Lumpur is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Tetsuya Yanagida as the latest addition to its culinary brigade. Holding the position of Executive Japanese Chef of Benkay Japanese Restaurant with his new appointment, Tetsuya or Yanagida-san as he is also known is no newcomer to the culinary scene in Kuala Lumpur having spent more than nine years in the city. Renowned for his bubbly disposition, culinary creativeness and skill, Yanagida-san started off his culinary exodus in 1992 with various establishments in Japan before taking up a position in the Nadaman Japanese Restaurant at the Imperial Hotel Branch in Tokyo, Japan in 1995. In 2002, his career took flight and he was transferred to the Nadaman Japanese Restaurant at Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur and played a pivotal role in the transformation of the Nadaman Japanese Restaurant to the award-winning Zipangu Japanese Restaurant which featured fine Japanese dining.
In 2007, Yanagida-san was appointed as Director and Executive Chief Chef for SKYS21 which manages the MIZU Japanese Fine Dining restaurants and simultaneously was also the Director and Executive Chief Chef for Tokyu Tengu Sdn Bhd with branches in Royal Selangor Club Kiara Sport, Royal Lake Club and Kelab Golf Negara Subang in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia.
With his current appointment at Hotel Nikko Kuala Lumpur, Yanagida-san will play an equally important role of ‘raising the bar' for fine Japanese dining at Benkay Japanese Restaurant, overseeing the smooth operation of the Japanese kitchen team, quality and cost control for food preparation and presentation; as well as to oversee the Japanese section of Serena Brasserie and banqueting.
Yanagida-san completed his earlier education in Chiba Prefecture, Japan before pursuing his culinary course at the Tokyo Chorishi Senmon Cooking School in Tokyo, Japan. Throughout his culinary career, Yanagida-san has received numerous licenses and awards which are vital to his career advancement such as obtaining Chef Licenses for FUGU (Globefish) Cooking, Japanese Cooking of Technical Approval, Specialist in Japanese Cooking and; was awarded the Japanese Cooking Chef Occupation Minister Award and Japanese Cooking Chef Occupation First Prize.
