Sakiko Yamada, the woman who leads gastronomy in the country with the most Michelin stars: "In Japan you can eat well even in a subway station bar"

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And he still has time to run a

with which he won an award at the Venice Festival in 2011.

His merits have also been recognized in our country last year with the Order of the Commander of Isabel la Católica, delivered by the King.

For all this, Sakiko Yamada is a

in the Japanese business scene, where it is not easy to find women to hold the position of president.

She is a woman of sweet and serene beauty, who hides

which has allowed her to achieve everything she sets out to do.

She is known for her humanitarian side, from a very young age she has combined her professional work with her dedication to different non-profit organizations always related to food.

Now he has joined this facet with a deep concern for the sustainability of our planet: "It is very common for sustainable projects not to consider their viability in the future, but if a project is not profitable, it cannot be sustainable over time" .

To do this, he has involved global luxury firms such as Armani and Bulgari in his latest project, which will allow his permanence over time.

How were you elected president of the Royal Academy of Gastronomy in a country where it is not common for women to hold positions of responsibility? It is an international institution with offices in different countries.

I had my residence in Los Angeles for 14 years and there I was on the executive committee of a foundation that provided 2,000 meals a day for the most needy people.

When the Academy wanted to expand to Asia, the then president, specifically a Spaniard, Rafael Anson, asked me to create an extension of it in Japan.

I also think that my collaboration with Richard Branson's foundation in Africa, Virgin Unit, which is committed to sustainability, contributed to my choice.

Japan is a country with a tradition of a healthy lifestyle, to which diet obviously contributes.

I'm not a chef

I am not the owner of restaurants, but I try to ensure that this tradition of quality is reflected throughout the food chain. In addition to being involved in restaurants, she is also concerned about the amount of food that is thrown away daily in her country. Well, during the Covid I realized that the restaurants were suffering a lot, but above all the farmers and farmers, who, unable to sell their merchandise, had to throw it away.

In this country, quality is not only required of food, but the color or shape can cause products to be discarded.

Not being able to sell them led to the ruin of some small producers.

So I created a Food Loss Bank, the Food Loss Bank, and figured out what would be the most effective way to use it.

In addition to being involved in restaurants, she is also concerned about the amount of food that is thrown away daily in her country. Well, during Covid I realized that restaurants were suffering a lot, but especially farmers, who by not In order to sell their wares they had to throw them away.

In this country, quality is not only required of food, but the color or shape can cause products to be discarded.

Not being able to sell them led to the ruin of some small producers.

So I created a Food Loss Bank, the Food Loss Bank, and figured out what would be the most effective way to use it.

In addition to being involved in restaurants, she is also concerned about the amount of food that is thrown away daily in her country. Well, during Covid I realized that restaurants were suffering a lot, but especially farmers, who by not In order to sell their wares they had to throw them away.

In this country, quality is not only required of food, but the color or shape can cause products to be discarded.

Not being able to sell them led to the ruin of some small producers.

So I created a Food Loss Bank, the Food Loss Bank, and figured out what would be the most effective way to use it.

but above all the farmers and farmers, who, unable to sell their merchandise, had to throw it away.

In this country, quality is not only required of food, but the color or shape can cause products to be discarded.

Not being able to sell them led to the ruin of some small producers.

So I created a Food Loss Bank, the Food Loss Bank, and figured out what would be the most effective way to use it.

but above all the farmers and farmers, who, unable to sell their merchandise, had to throw it away.

In this country, quality is not only required of food, but the color or shape can cause products to be discarded.

Not being able to sell them led to the ruin of some small producers.

So I created a Food Loss Bank, the Food Loss Bank, and figured out what would be the most effective way to use it.

The Food Loss Bank is an initiative that Sakiko launched in 2020 so that the products discarded for sale are used to solve social problems and at the same time the companies that support the land can grow economically.

His experience in the world of audiovisual production and advertising led him to choose an impressive name for these products, which are originally unattractive, but have the same quality: Ugly Love, Amor Feo

With this denomination, he wanted to convey the love for those ugly ducklings, which later turn out to be as tasty as the most aesthetic ones.

The packaging is printed with this mark so that consumers recognize the quality, despite its appearance.

"Japan throws away 6 million tons of food in good condition a year," Sakiko clarifies, "the reason why so many products are thrown away in our country is because if food does not meet quality standards, it is thrown away. This, together with Given that the 10% of the population with the greatest economic resources produce waste that generates 52% of greenhouse gases, it led me to think that I had to

in this sustainability project, a way of setting an example ".

Sakiko Yamada checking some crops.

In addition to restaurateurs, are you also concerned about food production? During Covid I realized that restaurants were suffering a lot, but above all farmers and farmers who, unable to sell their wares, had to throw them away.

In this country, not only quality is required of food, but also the color or shape can cause products to be discarded.

Not being able to sell them led to the ruin of some small producers.

So I created a Discarded Food Bank and figured out what would be the most efficient way to use it.

Bulgari chocolates produced by the Food Loss Bank.

But precisely the luxury companies are based on excellence... Yes, of course, but the product was of quality, only that the presence did not allow it to be put up for sale.

So I got restaurateurs involved who very creatively turned these products into attractive foods.

My first challenge was Armani.

This Italian luxury firm had opened a restaurant in its flagship in Ginza, the emblematic street of Tokyo.

I brought the product to them at source, in this case the rice, and the end result convinced them.

They agreed to try it out for three months.

Then they repeated another four.

This was the case for a while until, after the success achieved, they have incorporated it into their menu and are thinking of replicating this concept in Armani restaurants in other countries. Have you tried it with other international firms? Indeed,

we are already producing chocolates for Bulgari.

Since a very attractive packaging is needed for this type of product, I thought of using a very delicate paper and nothing better than our traditional rice paper.

To that we added a flower, since, in the years of the pandemic, the flowers withered in the greenhouses.

The result has been very attractive, as well as tasty.

I am already in contact with brands like Ralph Lauren, Hublot and with hotels like the Palace, the Hyatt and various Japanese companies.

To his interest in the survival of small agricultural producers, Sakiko joins his concern for a sustainable planet in which the ozone layer is protected and ensures that food waste is directly related to greenhouse gas emissions.

"When we talk about greenhouse gases - he explains while showing some statistics - we immediately think of the means of transport. But, for example, airplanes only produce 1.4% of these gases, iron and steel about 4% However, wasted food reaches up to 8% and, if we add the entire food chain from cultivation or livestock to the packaging with which it is marketed, it can reach between

And he ends by clarifying the reason why this sustainable initiative could not be carried out with the Royal Academy of Gastronomy, "being a non-profit institution, it did not ensure the financial sustainability of the project, that is why I decided to bet on a project that would be self-

and in which everyone wins, farmers and buyers".

For a tourist who arrives in Japan, the country with the most restaurants with three Michelin stars in the world, but also with thousands of so-called 'street food' restaurants, whose advertising signs are displayed only in Japanese, it is very difficult to choose one in the that is trusted to eat well.

That is why we take advantage of the fact that our interlocutor is the president of the Royal Academy of Gastronomy to ask her how we can choose the right one.

What kind of Japanese street food do you recommend? I would tell you that you can eat well in any restaurant, regardless of its category, even in a subway station bar.

The reason is that they take great care of the product.

It is usually local and fresh, and they serve it as natural as possible, without dressing it up with sauces.

Also, people in this country are very honest and try to give the best to the customer.

It's our mentality. One expects to find the famous sushi everywhere, but in Kyoto I didn't see anything like it. The place to eat sushi is Tokyo, which is where it originates.

However, Kyoto is known for its Kaiseki, which represents the most refined form of our cuisine.

You can also have Ramen, the famous noodle soup with vegetables and meat or fish, depending on the region, the typical dish of street food.

Yakitori chicken is usually our star bird, of which we use all parts, including the bones.

Here we Japanese do not throw away anything.

And if you ask me about desserts, it's true that we put very small pieces, unlike western desserts.

We use little sugar, but what we are recovering now is the sweet potato, Yaki Imo, because in addition to sweetening naturally, it contains a lot of fiber.

After a one-hour talk at the top of a skyscraper in the financial center of Tokyo, she left her office with the conviction that she is a woman committed to the environment and the ecology of resources.

Her firm will to improve the society in which we live has made Sakiko Yamada a

But above all inspiring for all those who care about the legacy that we are going to leave to future generations.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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