Genji chef named Philadelphia's best

When Genji Chef Koichi Aoyama was a young boy growing up in Tokyo, he did not know he would one day be named the best Japanese chef in Philadelphia by Philadelphia Magazine. In fact, he wanted to become a "pilot or a tour coordinator, like anybody." But from his kaiseki to his lifestyle, Aoyama -- who worked at the Genji located at 4002 Spruce Street for nine years before he transferred to Genji's new location at 1720 Sansom Street this summer -- said he likes to be "a little different." "Some people still don't believe it," he said. "They say, 'Oh, you cook.'" After several years at a community college near Los Angeles -- and after his plans to become a Grand Canyon tour guide backfired -- Aoyama first realized his calling as a chef. Toshio Hosaka, a highly esteemed Japanese chef who recently returned to Tokyo, invited Aoyama to train under him 10 years ago. "I established skill with him," Aoyama said. "At first I [made] so many mistakes -- I still wanted to be a tour guide." But according to Genji Manager Paul Kim, after years of hard work Aoyama has come close to emulating Hosaka. "I've been to a lot of Japanese restaurants, and I have to say there is only one person whose food I've tasted that's better than his -- and that's the person he learned from," Kim said. Aoyama said what he enjoys most about his job is being creative. "The daily lunch special, I can change everyday," he said. "250 days a year I'm making [a] new special -- otherwise I wouldn't do [this.]" Among some of Aoyama's specialties are the mini-kaiseki -- a three course meal modeled after kaiseki, the traditional five-course Japanese dinner -- and lobster motoyaki. While he tries to adhere to the traditional Japanese style, he has added his own flair. "[It is a] nice, traditional culture restaurant. I like [the] American taste, too, of course," he said. "Sometimes I like to conflict them or confuse them." Aoyama added, though, that when he returned to Japan last year and showed off his culinary skills to his mother -- who had never before tasted his cooking -- he stuck entirely to the conventional Japanese style. "She [was] kind of surprised," he said. "She liked it." Evelyn Abel, a Philadelphia resident who has frequented Genji for years, said Aoyama is superb. "It's always fresh," she said. "It's prepared as if it were only for you -- not for another 50 people." But despite Aoyama's success as a chef, he does not have any plans to open a Japanese restaurant of his own because he likes to keep his options open. "Owning a restaurant is probably [a] major headache," he said. "Now, I can go anywhere else. I can go to [the] west coast. I can go back home."