Interview

Itinéraires singuliers podcast - Blanche Loiseau, between heritage and boldness: a French chef in Japan

She could have stayed in Burgundy, at the heart of the Loiseau house, within the comfort of a well-established group.

But Blanche Loiseau chose to explore other avenues. In 2019, she went to Japan to work in a traditional kaiseki restaurant. A highly codified cuisine, devoid of foreigners and women. For a month, no one spoke to her. So she started washing dishes, observed, offered her help, and gradually earned her place. The sous-chef eventually took her under his wing. She emerged from that year with a rare glimpse into a Japan that is usually closed off.

Daughter of a three-star chef and heir to a house whose name resonates throughout French gastronomy, she nonetheless describes a simple childhood in the family kitchen in Saulieu. A rabbit liver tartlet as her madeleine de Proust, a rule passed down by her father - never more than three main flavors on a plate - and a strong conviction: excellence can be pursued without brutality.

Today, she divides her time between France and Japan, working for Loiseau de France while overseeing teams and international openings.

This balance of gentleness and firmness also guides her management style. In Besançon, where she opened a restaurant in 2023, her team is mostly female. She sets a clear framework: if a customer crosses the line, she personally shows them the door, and will go as far as accompanying them to the police station if necessary. She wants demanding kitchens that are also safe, where young people - especially women - can work without being subjected to abuse.

When the opportunity to open a restaurant in Tokyo arises in 2024, she accepts fully aware of what lies ahead. She discovers Japan’s inflexible administrative system, where even opening a bank account can take hours because her first names do not fit into predefined boxes. She also learns to work with very rigorous Japanese teams, sometimes lacking flexibility, but with rare reliability: once a gesture is set, it will be followed all year long.

In this context, she seeks a balance between French culture and Japanese codes. She demonstrates, corrects, and cleans the kitchen alongside her teams so they can leave earlier. Gradually, she earns their respect, without forcing it.

In her cuisine, Blanche finds natural bridges between Burgundy and the archipelago: the trilogy of flavors inherited from her father, purity of ingredients, and strict respect for the seasons. She appreciates the accepted imperfection of Japanese plating, inspired by kintsugi, where nothing is strictly identical yet everything makes sense. And when asked which dish to try in Tokyo, she recommends revisited œufs en meurette - before admitting that, for her, the true dish of Japan is ramen, which she could eat every day.

Her journey is that of a chef who carries a prestigious heritage without being confined by it. A French woman forging her own path between Saulieu and Tokyo, between tradition and movement, guided by a constant line: high standards, respect, and a certain idea of kindness in the kitchen.

Loiseau de France

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