How The Food Made Good Japan Awards 2024 Celebrated Excellence in Hospitality

Opening the Food Made Good Japan Awards 

Managing Director of The SRA, Juliane Caillouette Noble, sent a short video from London to be played at the Awards ceremony, in which she welcomed all attendees and congratulated the winners. She included a heartfelt message sending our deepest condolences from The SRA to Mr. Chef Oshima of Bottega Blu, who sadly passed away this year. “Chef Oshima has been an invaluable member of the Food Made Good community, and we are so sorry to hear of his passing,” she said.  

“Reflecting on this past year, we also want to acknowledge the heroic work of Chef Tominari and his support for the victims of the earthquake in Noto,” Juliane continued, referring to one of the biggest events of this year. “It's amazing to see chefs coming together to support the rebuilding of their community and feed victims at a time when it is so necessary, and it reminds us all of the power of food to make a difference.” 

“It is more important than ever that everyone, businesses and citizens, takes action to build the food system that we need and that we deserve. We want to inspire and encourage all of you guys to continue to show that leadership and to continue to fight for a better food system.” 

About the Food Made Good Japan Awards 

The Food Made Good Japan Awards recognises outstanding restaurants among SRA-Japan member restaurants that have achieved high scores under the Food Made Good Standard, the global sustainability certification developed by The Sustainable Restaurant Association. 

Winners of the Grand Prize, category awards (based on the Food Made Good Framework pillars of Sourcing, Society, and Environment) and special awards (Recycling, Fair Trade) were selected through a rigorous evaluation process by a panel of experts, with consideration given to sustainable sourcing, environmental impact and social sustainability. 

These awards aim to celebrate the creativity and dedication of SRA-Japan restaurants in advancing sustainability. It acknowledges their exemplary leadership and initiatives while fostering opportunities for them to build connections with peers, driving continuous positive change. 

Sustainable cuisine  

The dishes served at the ceremony were carefully crafted with a dual purpose: to support producers affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake and heavy rains, and to emphasise the importance of local production for local consumption and the use of seasonal ingredients. Ingredients were sourced from producers in Chiba Prefecture and Kanagawa Prefecture (Chigasaki, Ninomiya, Odawara, Atsugi), located within 80km of Tokyo. 

Under the direction of Executive Chef Toshinori Sogabe of The Capitol Hotel Tokyu, the menu reflected the theme of sustainability, resulting in beautifully crafted and delicious dishes. Menu cards used pictograms to show how the dishes aligned with the three pillars of the Food Made Good Standard: Sourcing, Society and Environment, making the sustainable elements easily recognisable to the guests. 

About The Sustainable Restaurant Association Japan 

Takeshi Shimotaya and his team set up SRA-Japan in 2018 and have been delivering the Food Made Good Standard in Japan ever since.   

Alongside being our exclusive partners in Japan, SRA-J also run regular seminars, webinars and ‘Chef Boxes’ to highlight a range of sustainability issues. Japanese businesses can join their network to attend local events and be involved in SRA-J's annual awards ceremony.   

SRA-J is a valuable partner in spreading the Food Made Good message in Japan and supporting local businesses as they work through their Standard evaluations. Since 2023, the Food Made Good Standard platform is available in Japanese. 

Learn more about our partnership with SRA-Japan here. You can read how Food Made Good supports hospitality businesses across the globe here.