SAN FRANCISCO — An online fundraiser for chef Tetsuro Ozawa, who is battling pancreatic cancer, was launched Dec. 30 by Febry Arnold, a former co-worker.
The description on the GoFundMe page, which has raised nearly $36,000 toward a goal of $100,000, is as follows:
“Although we are all having a very strange and different year, we still hope our new year 2021 would be better. We are also hoping if you could help the Ozawa family to fight with their devastating Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
“Tetsuro Ozawa was our head chef at where I used to work and that’s how I met him. After years of work for the restaurant, in 2016, he finally opened his own dream restaurant, OzaOza, in Japantown, San Francisco. Tetsuro Ozawa is an incredible chef who was trained in kaiseki in Kyoto.
“Since OzaOza was one of few fine kaiseki restaurants we could find in the city, with his beautiful presentation of foods, exceptional service, calm personality, he quickly drew lots of diners’ attentions in a couple years until the event of coronavirus stopped him.
“During the pandemic, he had to close the restaurant but he and his wife, Nergui, were able to enjoy their time with their newborn twins and a 5-year-old daughter. After closing for four months, he opened again for pick-up service, but the business was very slow. On top of this, in early December, he found out he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer Stage 4. In less than a week, he learned that the cancer has already spread to his liver and bone.
“Now with the permanent closure of his business, this family has to deal with uncertain daily expenses with the family of five, medical bills, and the heavy fight with his pancreatic cancer and they need our help more than ever.
“This fund will help his family with needs for food, housing, and medical bills as the chef was the only person who brought income to this family.
“We greatly appreciate any future helps you are considering for the Ozawa Family and we will make sure the funds are well used for the expenses for the family of five. Thank you so much!
“The beneficiary is Tetsu Ozawa’s wife, Nergui Gantsetseg, and the fund will be transferred to their joint account.”
2020年、新型コロナウィルスのパンデミックが始まり、私たちは様々な困難と直面することになりました。今までの生活は一変し、先の見えない不安に耐えなければならなくなりました。
サンフランシスコの日本街にある懐石料理レストラン「Oza Oza」のオーナーの小沢てつ氏もその渦中にいる一人のオーナー兼シェフ、同年6月に生まれたばかりの双子、そして5歳になる子供を持つの三児の父親でもあります。
京都の老舗料亭で修業をした後渡米。新たな土地、サンフランシスコで、寿司シェフとして腕を磨き、2016年、念願の夢である日本料理の伝統、懐石料理のレストラン「Oza Oza」をオープンしました。彼のおおらかな性格と気遣いのできる人柄、料理に対する愛情、長年の経験でつちかった腕は、繊細で美しい料理を生み出し、多くの人を魅了しました。
パンデミックが始まった数ヶ月間、彼はレストランの営業することができませんでしたが、思考を重ね、不安定な情勢の中でより多くの人に自宅での食事を楽しんでもらうため、メニュー等の変更をし、テイクアウトのみで再びお店をオープンすることに至りました。
しかし、明るい兆しの再開の直後、小沢シェフは病に倒れてしまいました 診断結果はすい臓癌ステージ4でした。
小沢シェフは彼の夢のレストランを廃業をし、治療に専念する決意をしました。病に打ち勝ち、再び多くの人に彼の料理を楽しんいただくために。
一家の大黒柱である彼が治療に専念できるよう、そして彼を支えるご家族のために、少しでも、ご協力をよろしくお願いします！
To make a donation and leave a comment, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-tetsuro-ozawa-fight-pancreatic-cancer