The Tsugaru Strait Area Chefs Forum, an event that brings together chefs and producers from Aomori and Hakodate, will be held on October 28th at Hotel Aomori (1 Tsutsumi-cho, Aomori City).

The forum is a forum for discussing exchanges and discoveries of the attractions of Aomori and Hakodate, which are separated by the Tsugaru Strait, through food resources, as well as ways to engage with the local community. Since it was held in Hakodate in 2017, it has not been held due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was decided to hold it in Aomori this year, as it marks the 35th anniversary of the "twin city" partnership between the two cities.

Hiroya Takayama of the Aomori Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who serves as a member of the event's executive committee, said, "It took a long time after the forum in Hakodate, but it is finally happening in Aomori. We hope that this will be an opportunity to promote local ingredients and provide opportunities for chefs to interact with each other."

The forum will be divided into two parts. In the morning, there will be lectures by Fukaya Koji of Spanish restaurant "Restaurant Basque" (Hakodate, Hokkaido) and Nakazono Yutaka of Aomori Prefecture's Regional Life and Culture Division, as well as a case presentation by "Tsugaru Akatsuki no Kai" (Ishikawa, Hirosaki). In the afternoon, chefs and others will act as panelists and hold a talk session on shorthorn beef and food for inbound tourists, as well as a lecture on ingredients produced in small batches and a case presentation by Irie Makoto, chef of French restaurant "EPICOUL" (Minato, Tokyo). At the networking event following the forum, participating chefs will serve up bite-sized dishes.

In preparation for the event, Takayama is enthusiastic, saying, "Many chefs active in Aomori and Hakodate will be participating. I would be happy if it becomes an inspiration for young chefs and a boost for the food and beverage industry. Hakodate is a place that I have a personal attachment to, as I lived there during my high school days. I hope we can liven up both cities."

The event will be held from 10:00 to 16:40. Admission is free. Morning session: 10:00 to 12:20, afternoon session: 13:00 to 16:40. The social gathering will be from 17:00 to 19:00. Participation fee: 7,000 yen. Applications will be accepted through the application form on the website. The deadline is October 25th.