Rika Maezawa grew up as the 3rd daughter of an unagi restaurant owner. She deliberately chose another path but was drawn to cooking as if by destiny. The restaurant’s name means ‘Seven Grasses’ and reflects Maezawa’s reverence for the Saijiki almanac of seasonal words for haiku poets. Vegetables, beans and dried foods are her star ingredients. Though based on home cooking, her work does venture from the confines of Japanese cuisine; for example, using Western seasonings to add subtle flavours.