PARIS--Kei Kobayashi, the first Japanese to scoop three Michelin stars in France, claims he has a long way to go before he will feel like a first-class chef.

The 42-year-old native of Nagano Prefecture gave a wide-ranging interview to The Asahi Shimbun at his Kei restaurant in the French capital, during which he explained the tortuous path he took to become a globally acclaimed chef.

Kobayashi opened his eatery with 12 tables in 2011 near the Louvre Museum. Now, gourmets around the world salivate at the thought of tasting his original dome-shaped dish, called “garden of vegetables,” that was so admired by the French edition of the Michelin Guide.

Excerpts of the interview follow:

Question: Have things changed dramatically since you achieved the highest accolade in haute cuisine?

Kobayashi: About 1,000 inquiries come in every day from around the world. As we receive an additional three while our staff members are replying to one, it takes so much time to respond to all of the messages. I am sorry, but our restaurant is fully booked to March.

Q: I gather you were inspired to become a chef by watching a TV show featuring three-star chef Alain Chapel. Could you explain in detail how that happened?

A: I made the decision when I was a 15-year-old, first-year student at senior high school. The black trousers and white apron looked cool to me. In those days, I had never tried genuine French cuisine.

I wanted to acquire the necessary skills for a professional career, so I was thinking of becoming a cook or a hairdresser. But then I realized that young hairdressers can only work at beauty salons, while chefs can continue working for as long as they like. So I decided to quit the Nagano Prefecture-run high school and start working at a famous French restaurant in the prefecture.

Q: How did that go?

A: The restaurant was recruiting waiters, but I asked to be hired as a cook. Hearing the request, the chef told me to “contemplate the restaurant's working conditions for three days.”

In a nutshell, chefs could rarely get a day off and the salary was low. When I told the chef the following day that I was agreeable, he got mad and said: “You did not think seriously. You must think about it for two more days.”

While I was there, I was scolded enough to last a lifetime. I was often told to “get out of here and seek a job elsewhere” and “go home.” In those days, three-quarters of my job involved washing pots. I made meals for the other cooks for the remaining time. I cooked three times a day for 20 people, which amounts to 20 times a week. I developed the menu for the following week and had it approved, so the necessary ingredients could be bought and cooked. I finished all the processes almost without help. The chef told me to explain how the recipes developed historically, so I studied by buying and reading loads of books.

Q: Do you believe that what you learned there gave you an important grounding?

A: Yes, I do. I appreciate what the chef did for me. Cooking dishes for colleagues is similar to my current way of working at my restaurant in Paris. That is because I have to handle all the processes from purchasing ingredients to cooking and serving the dishes.

Q: Since your father worked as a cook in traditional Japanese cuisine, was he a huge influence?

A: He worked at a "ryotei" Japanese food restaurant. He now sells ready-made meals. Although I visited his workplace during my childhood, he taught me nothing about cooking. At home, my mother made all the meals on her own. She is also a cook, and once worked at a Western-style eatery. She made sweets and everything else from "kanten” agar to French toast. I used to envy my friends buying food (at convenience stores and elsewhere).

But now I look back, I realize how hard she worked. That must have required time and labor, and I appreciate that.

Q: When you moved to France in 1999, you were entrusted with meat dishes at a starred restaurant. In 2003, you started working with three-star chef Alain Ducasse. Could you explain what you were expected to do there?

A: We always had to satisfy customers attracted by the three-star status with our dishes. The situation in the kitchen was like a war zone. There were 30 French cooks, and I was the only foreigner. If I showed any weakness, they would take advantage of it. Mistakes were not forgiven. Everyone wanted to get promoted and attempted to stay closer to Ducasse as long as possible so as to learn his philosophy and thought processes.

I was inferior to the others when it came to my ability to converse in French. Those with the same cooking abilities, but not me, would be singled out (for promotion). Because of that, I tried to never make mistakes and was careful to figure out and predict all the cooking processes so as to improve my accuracy. (He was finally promoted to sous-chef).

Q: Do you remember when the Michelin Guide’s reviewers visited your restaurant?

A: They identify themselves (after finishing their meal) once every two years. Unless they let us know, it is impossible for us to identify them. The last time was probably in May 2018, and I just exchanged a short conversation, such as asking, “How was it?”

To tell the truth, I fully devote myself to cooking 500 dishes a day perfectly to serve a total of 10,000 customers annually, so I cannot afford to think of the Michelin Guide that much. One thing I have in mind, however, is having my restaurant filled with customers.

Restaurants offering delicious food are packed with customers. That is because the cooks can refine their techniques every day, resulting in fewer mistakes and higher morale. On top of that, reviewers are professionals but individuals at the same time, so they would have suspicions if there are fewer customers at certain restaurants. If the establishments are crowded, they can reaffirm the quality of the food.

Q: What is you ideal in cooking?

A: I am still far from being the first-class chef. My only wish is to offer customers a comfortable time. Getting three stars is very nice for our staff. But three stars only involve the Michelin Guide. That is not everything.

I want cooking to be art. By that I mean that some people say food disappears when eaten, but really good meals remain in our memories forever. They continue living in the mind until the person dies. My cooking is based on many lives killed for use as ingredients. So I believe my mission is cooking them with honesty and respect so they can regain life in customers’ minds.