monk: Light and Shadow on the Philosopher's Path

An evocative and personal chef monograph – and an ode to wood-fired cooking – from Yoshihiro Imai, Japan's exciting emerging chef, and his cult restaurant, monk

monk is the story of Yoshihiro Imai's 14-seat, seasonally inspired restaurant, set on the cherry blossom-lined Philosopher's Path in Kyoto. Through personal essays, reflections, 75  contemporary Japanese recipes, and photography, Yoshihiro describes stories of the farmers, makers, and exceptional ingredients – from foraged vegetables to herbs and flowers – that inspire his omakase-style menu, explains why cooking with fire is central to the restaurant, and traces the evolution of the unpretentious, innovative, and flavorful pizza for which he is now renowned globally.

International media attention in the Wall Street Journal Magazine and Monocle Travel Guide Series have solidified Yoshihiro's influence on the Kyoto dining scene and both his visibility as a global chef and his restaurant monk have global appeal, with diners flying in from around the world to eat there.

Yoshihiro Imai is the chef of monk, a fourteen-seat, omakase-style menu restaurant set on the Philosopher's Path in Kyoto, which he opened in 2015. He developed his skills while working at enboca, a pizzeria with three locations in Japan, leaving as head chef in 2013. He is deeply inspired by Japanese culture as well as time spent at several well-known restaurants around the world, which inform his celebrated, exquisite, and highly seasonal cooking.