Kikkoman Presents a ‘Public-Private Sector Food Event with Renowned Global Chefs’
~A Dream Team of Top-Class Chefs from Japan and Around the World Makes the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai Theme of "Designing Future Society for Our Lives" a One-Day Reality~

May 7, 2025

The Kikkoman Corporation, together with three global chefs and nine Kyoto chefs at the forefront of Japanese cuisine, will hold an event themed ‘A World Connected by Deliciousness’ over two days, June 15th and 16th, at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan venue and in Kyoto City. The event will feature dishes developed specifically for this occasion using sustainable Japanese ingredients. Please look forward to experiencing a new deliciousness created through the fusion of the boundless ingenuity of world-class chefs, tradition, and innovation.

Event Overview

「A World Connected by Deliciousness」（英語）
「おいしさでつながる世界」（日本語）

< Symposium > 
Date/Time: Sunday June 15th 2025, 10:30 ~ 12:00

Venue: Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan Messe Exhibition Centre, “Wasse” stage inside the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries exhibition booth

Details: A talk session showcasing live discussion between globally renowned chefs on the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai theme of ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives’ from a food perspective. Information on Japanese ingredients supporting food sustainability will also be shared.

Scheduled Speakers:
・Yoshihiro Murata
Ryotei ‘Kikunoi” third-generation chef, Person of Cultural Merit
・Kyle Connaughton
MICHELIN USA 3-star restaurant ‘Single Thread,” chef and owner
・Mauro Colagreco
MICHELIN 3-star South of France restaurant ‘Mirazur,’ chef and owner
・Chudaree “Tam” Debhakam
MICHELIN Thailand 2-star restaurant ‘BAAN TEPA,’ chef and owner

Attendance: Visitors to the venue on the event date may observe freely. The event will be filmed and released in the following days.

< Reception > 

Date/Time:
Monday June 16th 2025, 
12:00 ~13:30 (Part I)
19:00 ~ 21:30 (Part II)

Venue: Ninna-ji Temple（仁和寺）, the Head Temple of the Omuro School of Shingon Buddhism (Kyoto City)

Details: In coordination with the June 15th talk session, a dream team of renowned global chefs and Kyoto culinary experts will unveil dishes created specifically for this event. This one-day exclusive collaboration between chefs from North America, Europe, Asia and Japan, set to take place at Ninna-ji Temple, one of the sites that make up the World Heritage Site ‘Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities’, is a world first. Part I will feature finger food, and Part II will showcase multi-course meals crafted by each chef.
★Details regarding interview availability for Part I to follow.
★Part II is invitation-only, with no general admission. Details of meals served, and recipes will be released post-event.

Culinary Expert Participants: 

This event, a public-private sector collaborative pursuit of food sustainability aiming to communicate new deliciousness, is being held by the 'Pursuit of Food Sustainability and Exceptional Food Proposals' executive committee. This committee was established by the Kikkoman Corporation, the All Japan Food Studies Association, the Nippon Steel Corporation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Kyoto Prefecture, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and the Japan Food Overseas Promotion Center (JFOODO). The event will take place at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan Messe Exhibition Centre and Ninna-ji Temple, the Head Temple of the Omuro School of Shingon Buddhism (Kyoto City).

Profiles of Participant Chefs from Overseas

Kyle Connaughton is a renowned chef, educator, and co-author of the book "Donabe - Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking". In 2016, he and his wife, head farmer Katina, opened Single Thread Farm - Restaurant - Inn in Healdsburg, California, which earned three Michelin stars, making it the only restaurant in Sonoma County to achieve this. The inn received three Michelin keys, while the farm earned the Michelin green star. Kyle’s culinary journey began in L.A., at locations including Spago Beverly Hills and The Dining Room at Ritz Carlton. He then trained in Japan with Michel Bras and in traditional Japanese cuisine. In 2006, he joined Heston Blumenthal as Head Chef of Research and Development for The Fat Duck Experimental Kitchen. Chef Kyle is a co-developer of the Culinary Science Bachelor's program at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), which awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2022. He also co-founded Vertice, a hospitality development company.

Mauro Colagreco was born in Argentina in 1976. The owner and chef of three-Michelin-star restaurant Mirazur, located in Menton, France, and named the ‘World's Best Restaurant’ in 2019 by the ‘World's 50 Best Restaurants,’ and honored with the ‘Best of the Best’ in 2021, also by the ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants.’ His daring and vision are reflected in his cuisine that transcends the seasons, always with instinct and generosity. Backed by the strong links he has forged with nature, he is committed to protecting our earth and developing ‘Circular Gastronomy,’ a concept that respects and mimics nature’s cycles. In this, he has made significant breakthroughs and continues to work relentlessly to contribute to this environmental transition. At the end of 2022, he became the first chef nominated as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity. The following year, he took on the position of vice-president of Relais & Châteaux; two important and complementary roles for a chef who, since his arrival on the Riviera, has been a champion of sustainable gastronomy and who, on a daily basis, is committed to safeguarding the world's culinary heritage, particularly through the biodiversity of flora and fauna.

Today, at the head of several restaurants (London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Palm Beach, Buenos Aires, etc.) in which he shares his deep convictions, and driven by his desire to learn and progress, Mauro Colagreco pursues his dreams, systematically placing the concerns of our earth at the center of his creations.

Restaurant Mirazur, Owner Chef.

Michelin 3 Star

The World 50 Best Restaurants No.1（2019）

The World 50 Best Restaurants "Best of the Best" (2021)

Chudaree "Tam" Debhakam is the Owner and Head Chef of Baan Tepa Culinary Space, a restaurant in Thailand with two Michelin stars and a Michelin green star, renowned for its focus on local ingredients, sustainability, and culinary creativity. First coming into the spotlight as the youngest contestant and winner of ‘Top Chef Thailand’, she gained international recognition as the first Thai female chef to earn two Michelin stars and was also named Asia's Best Female Chef in 2025. A passionate advocate for sustainability, Chef Chudaree served as the Chef Ambassador for Thai Harvest SOS and UNEP’s sustainability campaigns from 2015 to 2017, promoting food waste reduction. She further honed her skills at the International Culinary Center in New York City before working under Chef Dan Barber at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Her two years there (2015–2017) provided invaluable experience in farm-driven cuisine, working closely with organic, responsibly sourced ingredients. This, combined with her nutritional knowledge, shapes her approach to cooking—blending responsibly grown local produce with creative Thai flavors and modern flair.