Japanese Philosophy and Gastronomy
- 23 hours ago
- 2 min read
The Jane × Cacaogoto
Antwerp, Belgium 2026
At The Jane — a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Antwerp, Belgium — we held a collaboration event with Cacaogoto.
The theme of the evening: ichigo ichie. The Japanese understanding that no encounter, however familiar the ingredients or the setting, can ever be repeated.
Through cacao as a single shared material, we asked: how do European and Japanese sensibilities meet? That night at The Jane was a space to explore the answer.
Nick Bril and Japanese Thought
Chef Nick Bril of The Jane approaches cooking not as mere sustenance, but as an experience that encompasses music, space, and time — a commitment felt in every detail of his work.
He also holds a deep interest in Japanese culture and ways of thinking. On the evening of the collaboration, he spoke of the Japanese ideas that have shaped his vision.
What struck us most was his connection to kaizen — the philosophy of continuous improvement, known also through the Toyota Production System. The commitment to becoming better, one small refinement at a time. He described how that spirit runs quietly through his cooking.
Not the pursuit of completion, but the practice of constant renewal. That thought was present in the food he served that night.
The Connection Silva Cacao Made Possible
This collaboration came to life through Katrien of Silva Cacao, a specialty cacao importer whose work brought these worlds together.
Cacaogoto works to share cacao as an experience — shaped by Japanese sensibility and thought. Silva Cacao, through its focus on cacao origin and quality, has been steadily expanding the material's place within the world of gastronomy.
It was through that connection that Cacaogoto and The Jane found each other.
Nick Bril's Cooking with Cacao
Throughout the evening, cacao was woven into Nick Bril's dishes.
Not as a dessert element, but as a material for building layers of fragrance and depth — each course designed specifically for this night.
Using cacao as a savory ingredient remains uncommon even in the world of fine dining.
This collaboration was also a space to stretch that possibility further.
The Cacaogoto Ceremony
Following Nick Bril's courses, we held the Cacaogoto Ceremony.
Guests tasted wagashi made from various parts of the cacao plant, before closing with a bowl of Cacao Ippuku — a drink whisked from 100% cacao chocolate.
An experience designed to arrive at the essential fragrance and flavor of cacao itself.
From cuisine to chocolate. Two different encounters with cacao as a material, held within the same evening.
Where the Philosophies Meet
The collaboration with The Jane was more than an experiment in cooking with cacao.
Nick Bril's food can be read as a European interpretation of Japanese thought. The Cacaogoto ceremony, in turn, brings Japanese sensibility and philosophy to chocolate — a culture whose heartland is Europe itself.
A European gaze turned toward Japan. A Japanese gaze turned toward European food culture.
Perhaps what emerged between them was something that could only come from the place where those perspectives overlap.
A small dialogue, made possible through cacao.
The energy of everyone in that room gathered and held together in a single moment. An evening that gave the words ichigo ichie their full weight, once again.
