Evolving Avant-Garde Cuisine in a Remote Mountain Village

In the deep of winter, Chef Taniguchi begins each day not in the kitchen, but in the driver’s seat of a snowplow. When the region is covered in snow several meters deep, as it was in 2025, he personally clears the route—down steep slopes, over the bridge crossing the Toga River, and along the final winding path to the auberge. With practiced skill, he ensures that his staff can arrive safely and that guests can be received with warmth, despite the frozen landscape.

L’évo’s cuisine is built on two pillars: reflection and iteration. While the concept of “satoyama gastronomy” may evoke images of minimalism and natural simplicity, Chef Taniguchi’s interpretation remains distinctly chef-driven. He carefully selects vegetables, primarily sourced from trusted local farmers, while also dedicating himself to cultivating produce on L’évo’s own farm. In this setting, he approaches soil preparation with the same precision as crafting a dish—mixing in yeast to create fluffy, fertile soil and meticulously controlling the pH. The result is vegetables grown from this chef-driven soil that are truly unique to L’évo.
In one quiet corner of his spacious kitchen, Chef Taniguchi immerses himself in a process of introspection and iteration—letting ideas simmer in thoughtful solitude, then testing them through repeated refinement until they take their final, elegant shape on the plate.
He begins by cultivating the soil as one would prepare a recipe—mixing yeast into the earth, adjusting the pH, and building rich, fertile ground from scratch. From this tailored soil come vegetables unlike any found in conventional farming. Each is an extension of his culinary philosophy.
In one quiet corner of his spacious kitchen, Chef Taniguchi immerses himself in a process of introspection and iteration—letting ideas simmer in thoughtful solitude, then testing them through repeated refinement until they take their final, elegant shape on the plate.

Though based in the mountain village of Daikanba in Toga, Taniguchi is no recluse. He frequently travels throughout Japan and abroad, collaborating with chefs across the country and around the world.
Among his many ventures: a seafood-themed joint performance with Nick Yang from Taiwan’s Sinasera24 (now closed), and a creative trio formed with Takumi Nakayasu of Shimbashi Takumi in Tokyo—who operates under the guise of an izakaya (Japanese-style tavern) while showcasing techniques honed through training in France and earning widespread acclaim—and Yoshinobu Niiho of Sakaeya, one of Japan’s most respected meat specialists. Through these collaborative creations, new forms of culinary value are continually born.