コロナ禍がようやく落ち着いた昨春オープンした和食店「TOWA」が、
1周年のお祝いというので駆けつけた。
途中で白井シェフ自身がコロナに罹患してお店をしばらくお休みしたとか、
昨今の物価上昇で、シェフのおまかせメニューが一気に値上げしたとか、
それでもこのニューヨークで無事1周年を迎えられたことが喜ばしい。
日系人でなく米国人に支えられてこそ、地元で生き抜く和食店になる。
いつものメニュー、いつもの顧客に囲まれて、いつものように乾杯する。
また来年も、その次も、溢れる笑顔がいっぱいのお店でありますように。
The Japanese restaurant "TOWA" opened last spring when the COVID-19 pandemic finally settled down.
We gathered at the restaurant to celebrate its first anniversary.
After the opening, Chef Shirai himself contracted COVID-19 during the opening and had to take some time off from his restaurant,
also, the chef's omakase menu had gone up in price due to the recent rise in prices.
Nevertheless, we are happy to have celebrated their first anniversary here in New York.
A Japanese restaurant can only survive in its hometown if it is supported by Americans, not the Japanese in America.
Surrounded by the usual menu and the usual customers, we toasted as usual.
I hope that next year and the year after that, the restaurant will be full of overflowing smiles.
