National Culinary Review

JOIN US IN 2011 AND

In sider
BRYAN EMPEROR

Chef/Owner KALU Asian Grill Charlotte, N.C.

SOUTHEAST REGIONAL
CONFERENCE
FEBRUARY 18-21 | Hilton Atlanta
Atlanta | Trade Show — February 19

Why did you decide to study/master Asian cuisines? When I was a child, we would go to Chinatown in New York and have snails with black bean sauce and roast-pork buns. I lived in Queens and was surrounded by a number of ethnicities, particularly Asian. That, coupled with having many Asian friends, gave me a good early exposure to the food and culture. As an undergraduate, I went to Japan as an exchange student. It was then that I got my first real love for Japanese foods. I began to be accepted as a peer among different Asian cultures, and was exposed to the hidden underground food culture. I decided to follow my destiny and immerse myself in the cuisines of Asia.

I was determined to go back to Japan to seek out a higher understanding of the most highly respected of the Japanese food arts. I have been invited to train at such a restaurant for a second time. This time, world-renowned chef Yoshihiro Murata of Kikunoi, Kyoto, has invited me to train at his flagship restaurant.

Image courtesy of Experience Columbus/ Franklin Park Conservatory

NORTHEAST REGIONAL

CONFERENCE
MARCH 20-23 | Columbus Renaissance
Columbus, Ohio | Trade Show — March 22

What kind of experience will guests have
at KALU?
The finest ingredients prepared with
love and served with good old-fashioned
Southern hospitality.

CENTRAL REGIONAL
CONFERENCE
APRIL 17-20 | Hilton New Orleans Riverside
New Orleans | Trade Show — April 19

Talk about training at a kaiseki restaurant
in Tokyo.
Kaiseki started as individual small plates
that were meant to accompany the
traditional tea ceremony. It has since
grown into the highest form of Japanese
cookery. I am one of the few Westerners
who have been invited to train at such a
restaurant, Kissho in Tokyo. I knew that I
had a good base in Japanese foods, but

Describe the kind of food served at the
restaurant.
First of all, KALU is not a sushi restaurant.
We do have sushi, and the few items we
make are fantastic. However, I would like
to focus on the broad range of other foods
from Japan. Secondly, I won’t Westernize
any of the products. On the contrary, I spare
no expense or effort to obtain the finest
ingredients directly from their Asian source.
To those, I apply traditional technique and
method to produce one of the finest and
most unique menu concepts in America.
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