Tsukigetsu

"At Tsukigetsu, they once prepared manju as a dessert for Kaiseki cuisine, and even served it to Steve, who always ate sushi. In the beginning, he often complained, saying things like “the skin is a bit hard” or “the filling is not quite there”, which prompted us to make continuous improvements. One day, while sitting at the counter, Steve said, “It’s gradually getting better, but it’s still not up to Aono’s standard.” Then, suddenly, as if a good idea had struck him, he said, “I’ll cover all the costs, so why not send a chef out for training?” Jonathan, the senior vice president who was with him, also chimed in, saying, “That’s a great idea!” and they both got excited. When I retorted, “It can’t be that simple,” Steve was insistent, saying, “No, it’ll be fine.” From our perspective, managing the store, we had to avoid at all costs a situation where we would lose a valuable resource. Although the chef in question showed a certain eagerness to go, this “plan” was ultimately not carried out."

"Before long, the chef from Jobs’ household truly came to Tsukigetsu. Entering the kitchen, he learned how to shave katsuobushi, how to make dashi using katsuobushi and kombu, and so on. This visit took place three to four times, and he quickly mastered recipes for Steve’s favorite dishes such as ochazuke and spinach with sesame dressing before returning home. He also took a katsuobushi shaver home, so perhaps they were making authentic katsuobushi dashi at Jobs’ residence too. Really, to think he would actually send someone for “training”… It might be an episode that demonstrates Steve’s commitment to his word."