Portrait of Yoshitaka Takayanagi

Yoshitaka Takayanagi has officiated at La Scène Thélème since 2019. Explore his background and his inspirations

From Mount Fuji to Paris

A native of the Mount Fuji region, Chef Yoshitaka Takayanagi studied in Japan at the prestigious TSUJI Culinary School. In 2007, he settled in France to discover the classics of French gastronomy. Driven by the desire to excel, he worked throughout his career with great French chefs such as Guy Martin (Grand Vefour***), Yannick Alléno (Pavillon Ledoyen***), and Alain Ducasse (Le Meurice**).

Terroir mon amour,

It was in contact with these great masters that he honed his admirable techniques and fell in love with French terroir. Chef Yoshitaka is now ready to create and share his own culinary vision: a pure, minimalistic experience, with a simple and clear ethos— a devotion to the richness of the products he uses. Today, Yoshitaka Takayanagi takes over the kitchens of La Scène Thélème where, in harmony with the seasons, he shares with you the best of the French terroir.

A huge crush

“I fell in love with the man and his cuisine,” says Jean-Marie Gurné, Founder of La Scène Thélème, of Yoshitaka. “His cooking is very elegant with a rare sense of the balance of flavors and a subtle mastery of cooking. It combines Japanese and French cultures and reflects his personality. By getting to know him, I find in him finesse and sincerity, modesty and a desire for perfection.”