Maison Prison (ムショラン三ツ星)

-How's the steak? -One more minute.

-Undercooked. Give it another 90 seconds. -Okay.

-This one's almost up. -Got it.

Service, please.

Certainly.

Pull it in 30 seconds. I'll do the sauce.

Chef, plating.

-Steak's up. -Okay.

Service, please.

Certainly.

I will now announce the results...

of Master Italiana Japan 2024.

After a fierce competition, the winner is...

Ristorante La bella Alba!

Wow, I'm so delighted.

I couldn't have made it this far without you all.

I've got the best team.

And I'm grateful to our wonderful customers.

Thank you very much.

Grazie!

Congratulations!

All right, give us your slogan.

Aim for

Three stars!

So...

What's a three-star chef doing here?

We never got the stars.

A lot happened after that.

NOTICE OF CLOSURE

Yoko.

Forgive me.

The owner was embezzling?!

By the time I found out, everything was gone.

As a chef, I dreamed of opening my own restaurant.

I trained in Italy for three years.

After that, I gained experience and honed my skills at different restaurants.

Service, please.

-Certainly. -Pasta's up.

For the last seven years,

Ristorante La bella Alba meant everything to me.

And yet,

to lose my restaurant like that...

Now that's what you call a complete shock.

But sometimes a setback can be an opportunity.

So I decided to get back on my feet.

DIETITIAN WANTED HAMAZAKI PRISON

A prison?

NO OVERTIME, WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS OFF GREAT WORK-LIFE BALANCE

When my kids were little, I got certified as a dietitian.

So I want to work as a dietitian

to start a new chapter in my life.

A new chapter in your life, huh?

Looks to me like you chose this job for the stability.

No way.

I wanted to put my experience to use--

That experience won't cut it here.

Huh?

You've had an impressive career, but it means nothing in this place.

You won't be serving

foodie diners or couples here.

Wait a second. It's still a job that deals with food, right?

Let me ask you something.

What kind of place do you think this prison is?

It's a place where criminals reflect on their actions and rehabilitate themselves.

And what does rehabilitation mean to you?

Woodshop. Woodshop.

-Excuse us. -That place again?

Is there an incident?

Well, yes.

It happens a lot.

This is a prison.

Oh, it happens a lot...

Ms. Ginbayashi,

the inmates here prepare the meals.

The inmates?

Yes, cooking is one of the inmates' work assignments.

What?

Then who teaches them how to cook?

Who else could it be?

The dietitian does.

The dietitian?

Me?!

CROQUETTE CHAOS

No one really stood out.

You're absolutely right.

We need someone with more backbone.

But backbone alone isn't enough.

Exactly.

Backbone alone won't cut it!

Then I suppose we won't hire anyone.

KOTARO NATORI

Wait.

WARDEN, HAMAZAKI PRISON

Let's hire Ms. Ginbayashi.

TAKAO IRIE MASATO TANGO

Ms. Ginbayashi? You mean that unfortunate chef?

Warden, a former fine-dining chef must be full of pride and bound to cause trouble.

I suggest you reconsider.

Tango,

how do those cookies taste?

Oh, they're very delicious.

You sure have three-star taste in souvenirs!

Those are actually made in prison.

They're snacks made by boys at a juvenile detention center in Italy.

Bisogna assaggiarlo per saperlo.

"You won't know until you taste it."

So we won't know until we hire her.

I consider it a rather bold decision.

Hamazaki Prison is no ordinary prison. We support new challenges here.

I think she deserves a chance.

Right, Sugiyama?

KENJI SUGIYAMA SUIJO SUPERVISOR

Huh?

HIRED

Hamazaki Prison.

This is a pilot program facility focused on rehabilitating inmates

and helping them reintegrate into society.

It houses a diverse range of inmates, including first-time and repeat offenders,

and runs specialized guidance and programs.

It is a small men's prison.

Mornings here start early.

The inmates prepare the meals.

They also handle all the daily chores,

including cooking, laundry, and cleaning.

That's how the prison operates.

KENGO YABE NUMBER 320

Wake up!

RYUJI UMEKAWA NUMBER 126

MAMORU BITO NUMBER 278

TERUO TAKEDA NUMBER 44

SHINPEI KAWAGUCHI NUMBER 384

Prepare for count.

Cell 104, sound off!

-One. -Two.

-Three. -Four.

Good morning.

Good morning.

BREAKFAST

-Thank you. -Thanks for the meal.

I'd give it 38 points.

Tough critic as always.

Isn't this pretty lame?

I'm gonna be starving way before lunch. Ugh, I'm already hungry.

I'd give it 60 points. I love these simmered flavors.

No abnormalities to report today.

The prison out west served bread and coffee for breakfast.

They even gave us margarine and berry jam.

I'd give that 86 points.

Lucky you. If I ever get locked up again, I wanna go there.

Hey, enough yapping in the morning. Shut up and eat.

Sorry, sorry.

By the way, I heard the new dietitian's a woman.

A woman?!

Oh no, I'm screwed.

I'm in trouble.

Seriously? That's awesome.

Don't get so worked up over a woman.

I know you're excited too.

Zip it. I don't care.

A woman dietitian, huh?

Wonder what she's like.

Hope she's the sweet, comforting type.

I'm so screwed.

Maybe we should give her a little welcome.

You don't like mackerel, Kawaguchi? You never touch it.

Um, yeah, I can't eat fish.

You shouldn't be so picky. What a waste.

-Good morning. -Good morning.

Good morning.

I'm Ginbayashi, the new dietitian.

You're two minutes and 38 seconds late.

I'm sorry.

My son was slow to wake up.

That's no excuse.

Punctuality is strictly enforced here.

Easy, Sugiyama.

Ms. Ginbayashi, you know what to do next time.

Right?

Yes, I'll be careful.

Then, let me take you to the suijo .

The suijo ?

The suijo is the prison kitchen.

Sanitation is strictly maintained,

and the inmates prepare three meals a day year-round in rotating shifts.

There is no uniform for prison dietitians.

They may dress freely,

but flashy clothes, hair colors, and makeup are strongly discouraged.

Female staff members should not wear skirts.

These are the prison's unspoken rules.

Thank you for waiting.

Hold it!

Huh?

Don't stick a pen in your pocket.

Why is that?

What if someone stabs you with it?

Wow, so this is what prison's like on the inside.

It's like a school.

Quit looking around.

Hamazaki Prison has

a capacity of 257 inmates.