[Hotel New Grand (② Hospitality that adds color to your food)] (Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Former name of prefecture: Musashi)
＜The immortal achievements of the “Evangelist of Western Cuisine” left in Yokohama, inheriting the cuisine and hospitality that adorn the Japanese dining table＞
Sally Weil was born in Bern, Switzerland in 1897. Aiming to become a chef from a young age, Weil devoted herself to mastering the techniques of “Auguste Escoffier”, which was very popular at the time. Weil traveled from Bern to the Netherlands and then to France, serving as head chef in various places, improving her own skills and cultivating a wealth of knowledge in the international community. When Weil was head chef at a hotel in Paris, he received an invitation from his old Swiss acquaintance Alfonso Dunand. It was about a hotel that was scheduled to open in Japan, the land of the Far East, and they were looking for its first head chef. Dunand had already accepted the position of first manager of the hotel, and he wanted Weil's skills and open-mindedness as an essential part of the hotel he managed. Weil accepted the invitation and traveled to Japan in 1927 to coincide with the opening of the hotel. This was the beginning of the achievements of Sally Weil, who would later be hailed as a missionary of Western cuisine in Japan.
Weil began her career at the Hotel New Grand, which opened in Yamashitacho, Yokohama. The hotel was built by the public and private sectors as a gateway to Yokohama, which was recovering from the Great Kanto Earthquake. It aimed to provide the highest level of service in both name and reality for Japan, which was finally on par with Western countries in the international community. As executive chef, Weil not only managed the kitchen, but also thoroughly but flexibly instilled the essence of "hospitality" through cooking in the Japanese staff. Weil himself wrote on the menu, "The head chef will respond to orders for any dishes not on the menu," and practiced responding to guest requests. One day, a guest who was not feeling well requested a dish that was easy to swallow, and the dish he improvised and baked in the oven was the world's first "doria." Weil also taught his staff the importance of expanding their knowledge beyond cooking, and even took time off work in the kitchen to help them attend language school, providing unconventional guidance. These facts were part of a grand change in consciousness to instill hospitality that is considerate of the guests, something that Japan had overlooked since the Meiji period when it only adopted Western "types."
The service of Weil and his staff was praised by top guests from around the world, and New Grand became a great name. However, when the Pacific War broke out, Weil was forced to leave the New Grand kitchen as a national policy and relocated to Karuizawa. After Japan's defeat, New Grand was taken over by GHQ, and Weil returned to Switzerland in despair. Moreover, what awaited Weil in Switzerland was the change in culinary trends that had been occurring in the West while he was active in Japan. The techniques that Weil had acquired were now considered obsolete, and there was no place for him to be active. When his Japanese students, who had been separated from Weil due to an unforeseen incident, learned of Weil's predicament, they recruited volunteers and invited him to Japan. When Weil arrived at Haneda Airport in September 1956, he was given a grand welcome by about 150 students and related parties, and gave lectures and instruction in various parts of Japan for a month. After returning to Japan, Weil once again devoted himself to the development of Japan's culinary world, acting as an intermediary between Japanese students studying in Switzerland and the kitchens where they were accepted, and behind the scenes supporting the recovery of Japan's international status after the defeat of the war.
Weil passed away in Bern in 1976, but his achievements were naturally spread through the efforts of his students. Weil's students became head chefs at some of Japan's most famous hotels, and at New Grand, menu items such as "Spaghetti Napolitana" and "Pudding a la Mode" were created in response to guest requests. Weil's hospitality has been passed down and has dramatically improved Western cuisine in Japan. Today, at New Grand, you can enjoy the dishes created by Weil and his students in their original form. In addition, in 2024, "S.Weil by HOTEL NEW GRAND" will open behind the hotel. At the patisserie named after Weil, you can purchase Western sweets such as "Mocarulo" developed by his students.
From one perspective, Weil's life can be seen as a sacrifice of himself for Japan, and his strange fate is full of charm that cannot be expressed in simple terms. However, the cooking and hospitality that he poured his passion into have now transformed into an irreplaceable part of the lives of Japanese people, and they certainly add color to their daily happiness.
Recommended for solo travelers: ★★★★ (There are people, but not many. You can enjoy sightseeing in peace!)
Visited: 4th Sunday in February around 6pm
Access: About 1 minute walk from Motomachi-Chukagai Station
*Some of the photos in this post were borrowed from a friend