Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2022
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Current

Employment History

Nihonbashi Yoshinoya kaiseki restaurant, Tokyo, Japan; Usukifugu Yamadaya (two Michelin stars) fugu restaurant, Tokyo, Japan; Hana Marunouchi Restaurant, Tokyo, Japan; Kodaiji Kanjin restaurant, Kyoto, Japan; Inatori- Ginsuisou Resort, Shizuoka  Japan; Minamoto Kichouan Ginza Restaurant, Tokyo, Japan

Birthplace

• Chiba, Japan

Languages Spoken

• Japanese, English

Chef Kiyoshi Udagawa is the first Japanese born chef to join Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay. He is the Head Sushi Chef of re/ASIAN Cuisine restaurant and Blue Moon Lounge.

Moving to Bahrain is the first time Kiyoshi has worked outside of Japan and he views this exciting new chapter in his life as an opportunity to keep things interesting and fresh. “I believe a chef needs to constantly evolve because cooking techniques and styles are constantly changing.”

Kiyoshi’s vision for re/ASIAN Cuisine and Blue Moon Lounge is to offer an authentic Japanese and sushi experience using local ingredients with a strong focus on fresh seasonal ingredients. “I want to introduce Four Seasons guests to simple Japanese dishes such as nimono, one of my favourite traditional dishes. I have given the dish a twist as I like to play with different ingredients and I’ve used different cooking techniques to make the dish special.”

Japanese food is about more than the preparation and presentation, the ingredients are an integral part of the dish and Kiyoshi gives a great deal of thought to each ingredient that he uses. Seasonality plays a pivotal role in Japanese cuisine and he carefully selects ingredients that are ripe with flavour. He has excellent fish cutting skills and likes to experiment with presentation. “Dishes not only have to be balanced, seasonal and flavoursome but they also need to be aesthetically beautiful.”

He grew up on the east coast of Japan with his father and three siblings and realised his love of cooking at a very young age while watching and helping his father prepare traditional Japanese dishes. The first dish he ever cooked on his own was tamagoyaki, a Japanese omelette. “Cooking for my family spurred me on to become a chef.”

Kiyoshi didn’t have the financial resources to attend culinary school and instead he joined Kichouan Ginza Restaurant in Tokyo as an apprentice. “In the beginning the journey to becoming a chef was very difficult - I used to work day and night but it has been worth it.” He acquired his cooking licence to prepare fugu (puffer fish) in Chiba, Kyoto, Shizuoka and Tokyo, and he is certified in Japanese Food Specialty Cooking and Professional Skills.

Kiyoshi is a family man and when he’s not in the kitchen, he loves to spend time with his wife and children camping outdoors.