Wicky Priyan is one of the most incredible characters of the Milanese gastronomic scene. Cinalese by birth, he had a romance life that led him to the four corners of the world to cover the most absurd roles: master of karate, underwater, criminologist and martial arts expert. Enigmatic and therefore fascinating character, he is Japanese of adoption and a certain point has decided to put his passion for the passion of that country to the use by becoming chef, first in many elsewhere and in the end, fortunately in Milan, in Milan, where from almost three herself it has an elegant and very personal restaurant at the number 6 of Corso Italia: it is called Wicky’s Innovative Cuisine and is a pillar of the orientalist cuisine. His cooking philosophy (Wicuisine) is spiritual and passionate and combines the inspirations of his Japanese masters with the Mediterranean vigor, producing unforgettable dishes that are proposed in different “waves”, as Wicky loves to call them. Among the dishes that I tried in my recent visit, some classics such as the Salmon Pecora (a bold dish that combines wild salmon with the strength and flavor of the seasoned Sardinian pecorino), the sushi kan (eight nigiri including Angus, capable with yuzu cream, sea bass with datterino and mullet bottarga) and other novelties in Milan of the Maki Os. At Zafferano, Ossobuco and Chips of Parmigiano Reggiano, the magnificent marinated anchovies, magic (sea bream fillet with vapora, with soya, sakè, champagne and citrus fruits), a Sicilian pig cooked with an ancient Japanese recipe with vegetables, caramelized mella and Daikon.
But my visit was also an opportunity to discover a new Prayan project, which is famous, among other things, for its rich collection of kitchen knives, many of which are on display in her restaurant. Well, the Singal Chef will sell the precious Japanese craft knives in his place in Corso Italia. Those produced
From Tosinobu Mizumoto, forging master of the last shop still active in Nichinan, a small pearl in Miyazaki’s prefecture, on the southern island of Kyushu. “Many have asked me – says the chef with a smile that already tells everything -. So I decided to satisfy them. They are unique pieces, made with techniques that have been handed down for generations. “
But it is not just a sale, it is not just a business: it is a bridge between different worlds, between the most authentic Japan and the gourmet Milan, between the steel and the silk of a cuisine that knows how to be sharp as a sharp and delicate knife like a perfect sashimi.
In Nichinan, the sound of the hammer on the blade is music. Here, the Bottega Mizumoto Blades has existed since 1931, the last witness of an era in which the blacksmiths were almost divinities, custodians of secrets handed down only to those who proved to be worthy of it. Forging a knife is not just a matter of technique, it is a question of soul. Wicky Priyan knows it well: “The knife is the most important thing for a chef.” And it shows it in its cuisine, where each blade is chosen with obsessive, almost religious care. Now, for the first time, Mizumoto Blades leaves Japan’s borders and arrives in Italy, thanks to a project that goes far beyond the simple sale of knives.
Everything is part of Rigan, a platform that wants to give global visibility to Japanese craftsmen, often brilliant but not very accustomed to marketing. An idea that arises from the desire not to let ancient crafts lose themselves in modernity, but rather to insert them in a global context without distorting them. It is not just a question of business, it is an act of cultural resistance. And Wicky Priyan has decided to be an active part, choosing to import not only knives, but an entire philosophy of life and work.
But the story does not end there. Nichinan is not just the city of the blades, it is also a corner of Japan that few know. Breathtaking landscapes, small roads that seem to come out of a Miyazaki film, agricultural traditions that sink the roots in a distant past. And it is precisely here that Priyan has decided to enter with an ambitious project: Miyazaki’s so -called “sixth industrialization”. In simple words? A total integration between agriculture, forests, fishing and trade. A development model that is not limited to production, but thinks about transformation and direct sale, creating a self -sufficient and sustainable system.
Not only knives and food: Priyan has something even bigger in mind. An Ayurvedic Center that becomes a meeting point between Japan and Italy, between Eastern well -being and western culinary art. The project provides for the cultivation and processing of spices, herbs and vegetables to be used in Ayurvedic treatments, with the aim of creating a cultural and tourist bridge between Miyazaki and Milan. And it’s not just a romantic idea: behind it there is a precise plan to enhance biodiversity, give a new value to local agricultural products and insert them in a global context that can appreciate and enhance them.
Let’s talk about the Taiyo no Tamago (egg of the sun), the completely mature mango, famous for its intense sweet taste and its soft and juicy consistency; Miyazaki’s Wagyu, particularly rich in “Marbling” the infiltration of fat in the characteristic muscle of this very precious meat; of Tuna and Bonito, two of the fish of which Miyazaki’s waters are particularly rich; and caviar, of which the town is the largest producer in Japan, thanks also to the particularly clean natural environment. And then of the distillates of Kyoya, born in the fifth year of the era time, in 1834, which produces traditional Shohi but from the tastes they marry with contemporary gastronomy and gin to the Yuzu and Hinata.