Owner/chef, Zen Whistler
Photos and questions by Maureen Provençal
PQ: What’s your food/wine philosophy?
JP: Serve the kind of food that you would want to be served in any Japanese restaurant. And serve the way you would want to be served.
PQ: One food you can’t live without?
JP: Eggs.
PQ: One ingredient you can’t live without?
JP: Garlic.
PQ: What food/drink should people be more open to trying?
JP: Uni/premium saki.
PQ: Weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
JP: Chicken sashimi.
PQ: Most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten?
JP: In Korea, a chef’s tasting menu in Cholla Province.
PQ: Exact moment you decided to become a chef?
JP: When I got off doing dishes.
PQ: What’s your solution for a last-minute meal?
JP: Teriyaki stir-fry.
PQ: Best trend in food/restaurants?
JP: Globalization of food.
PQ: Worst trend in food/restaurants?
JP: All you can eat sushi.
PQ: Greatest professional moment?
JP: Still working on it.
PQ: Where would you go to eat if you could go anywhere in the world?
JP: Japan for tonkutsu.
PQ: Where would you go for your last meal in Whistler?
JP: Rimrock for dinner and Araxi lounge for drinks.
PQ: What brought you to Whistler?
JP: The diverse clientele of what Whistler has to offer.
