Chen Kenmin

陳 健民 Chen Kenmin
Born
陳健民 Chén Jiànmín

(1912-06-27)June 27, 1912
Yibin, Sichuan Province, Republic of China
DiedMay 12, 1990(1990-05-12) (aged 77)
Japan
Children陳 建一 Chen Ken'ichi (son)
Relatives陳 建太郎 Chen Kentarō (grandson)
Culinary career
Cooking styleChinese Imperial cuisine, Sichuan
Current restaurants
Shisen Hanten group of restaurants found in Akasaka, Ikebukuro, Roppongi, Tokushima, Kure (Hiroshima Prefecture), Matsuyama and Hakata
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese陳建民
Simplified Chinese陈建民
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinChén Jiànmín
Japanese name
Kanji陳 建民
Transcriptions
RomanizationChin Kenmin
Japanese name
Kanji東 建民
Kanaあずま けんみん
Transcriptions
RomanizationAzuma Kenmin

Chen Kenmin (June 27, 1912 – May 12, 1990), also known as Azuma Kenmin (Japanese: 東 建民) after naturalization, was a Chinese-Japanese chef. He is often credited with introducing Sichuan cuisine to Japan. His son, Chen Kenichi, was also a prominent chef of Chinese cuisine and the Iron Chef Chinese on the television show Iron Chef.

Early life

Chen was born in Yibin, Sichuan Province in 1912. He learned cooking from his mother, and worked in various restaurants in Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai. He emigrated to Taiwan in 1947 after the Chinese Civil War, and to Hong Kong in 1948, where he opened a Sichuanese restaurant.

In Japan

Chen emigrated to Japan in 1952 and became a Japanese citizen in 1954. Chen had originally specialized in Chinese imperial cuisine. However, in 1957, upon opening the Shisen Hanten (四川飯店; literally 'Sichuan Inn') restaurant in Japan, Chen arranged his dishes to cater to the tastes of his Japanese clients. Chen introduced Shanghai-style Sichuan cuisine to Japan through the Shisen Hanten Restaurant as well as through nationwide TV shows, particularly NHK's TV show, Kyō no ryōri ("Today's Cuisine" in English). Chen came to be known as the "father of Chinese Sichuan cooking" in Japan.

In 1998, Masuyoshi Kimura, a chef who had been personally trained by Chen Kenmin, appeared as a challenger on Iron Chef, but rather than competing against Chen Kenmin's son, Iron Chef Chen Kenichi, Masuyoshi chose Masaharu Morimoto to be his opponent. Chen Kenichi was present for and watched the battle.

Among the many Shanghai-style and Sichuan-style Japanese Chinese dishes Chen popularized in Japan are:

Personal life

Chen married a Japanese woman, Yoko Sekiguchi, in 1953. Their son, Kenichi, was born in 1956.

After his naturalization as a Japanese citizen, Chen's name was legally changed to Azuma Kenmin (東 建民), though he continued to use his original surname in his professional life.

Death

Chen died on 12 May 1990, aged 77.

References

  1. ↑ ヒストリー. 四川飯店 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  2. ↑ 中華料理人・陳建一さん　楽しく明るく、懐深かった母. -{日本経済新聞}- (in Japanese). 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  3. ↑ "International Chef Showcase (Hong Kong) : Chen Kentaro of two-Michelin-starred Shisen Hanten, Singapore". MICHELIN Guide. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  4. 1 2 Chen, Lujun; Pohl, Karl-Heinz (2023-11-01). East-West Dialogue. Springer Nature. pp. 359–360. ISBN 978-981-19-8057-2.

Notes

  1. ↑