Farm-to-Table in Fukushima: Local Chef Serves up Fresh-Picked Treasures

Chef Hagi displays the fresh-picked vegetables he personally selected for the day’s prix-fixe meal.

Junsai (Urabandai) in a triple consommé.

Suffolk lamb on a purée of okuimo potato.

Cards introducing local producers and the ingredients they supplied take the place of a printed menu at Hagi.

Hagi French Restaurant

Hagi has developed a line of vegetable confitures (preserves and jams) and dressings in collaboration with Shiraishi and other local producers.

Hagi and Shiraishi at the latter's farm on the morning of a dinner reservation.

The Shiraishi Farm is a magnet for volunteers and college students eager to learn about organic farming.

Seared bonito with heirloom eggplant, red bell pepper, and freeze-dried tomato.

Battered and fried sweetfish (ayu) with a fava bean purée.

Fresh-picked myōga ginger and horsehair crab in a savory jelly infused with tomato (Shiraishi Farm) essence.

Grilled eel with a reduction of red wine and eel-bone broth and risotto (Iwaki rice).

Crispy-skinned blackthroat seaperch (Iwaki) with a sauce of Cook Gold yellow tomatoes, garnished with young basil, nasturtiums, and other micro herbs.

Wild abalone (Iwaki) in a saffron (Aizu) sauce with heirloom Ojiroi cucumbers (Iwaki).

Raspberry (Iwaki) sorbet with pastry.

Sliced peaches (Furuyama Orchard, Fukushima City) with Jersey cow ice cream (Tsubasa Farm, Fukushima City).