くも晴れ Vol.5　食がつくる、地域の“第三の居場所”。

食がつくる、地域の“第三の居場所”。
ゲスト：栄養モンスター 佐藤和之さん・田中奈央子さん
(The English version follows the Japanese text.)

「どんなことがあっても、自分にとっては最高の一日になる。」そんなコンセプトで、Creative Guildのコアメンバーの有賀 悦江さんがお届けするラジオ番組「It’s always sunny! くもの上はいつも晴れ」。第5回のゲストは、東京都港区・白金高輪で地域に開かれた食堂「栄養モンスター」を運営する佐藤和之さんと田中奈央子さんです。今回のテーマは、食を通じて子どもや親、地域の人たちを支える“第三の居場所”づくりです。

「栄養モンスター」が生まれたきっかけは、お二人が同じ幼稚園に子どもを通わせる保護者同士だったこと。日々の会話の中で、「子どもたちが気軽に行けるご飯屋さんがあったらいいよね」という想いが育まれていきました。そこに白金高輪での物件との出会いが重なり、2023年10月に食堂として形になりました。店名には、食べものの栄養だけでなく、頭と体と心に栄養を届けたいという願いが込められています。

この回のききどころは、都市の中で子どもたちをどう見守るかという視点です。白金高輪周辺には塾が多く、子どもたちは夕方から夜まで忙しく過ごしています。一方で、共働きの家庭では、塾の前に温かい食事を用意することが難しいこともあります。そこで「栄養モンスター」では、子どもたちが短時間で食べられる“塾弁”や補食を提供。おにぎりを食べ、宿題をして、「行ってきます」と塾へ向かう。そんな日常の小さな安心を、地域の大人たちが支えています。

重要なインサイトは、食は単なるサービスではなく、関係性を育てる入口になるということです。田中さんがつくる料理は、毎朝精米するお米や、麹を使った手づくり調味料、淡路島の玉ねぎなど、素材へのこだわりに支えられています。しかしそれ以上に大切なのは、家庭の延長にあるような温かさです。決まったメニューを提供するだけではなく、その日の食材を見ながら献立を考える。そこには、効率だけでは測れない“お家ごはん”の安心感があります。

また、田中さんの「お家ごはんを家で作らなくてもいい」という言葉は、忙しい親にとって大きな救いになります。すべてを家庭だけで抱え込まなくてもいい。地域に「あの人が作ってくれるなら安心」と思える場所があること。それは、子育てや暮らしを支える新しいコミュニティの形でもあります。

Creative Guildでは、このような実践者のストーリーを「クリエイティブ・ラーニング」として共有していきます。大切なのは、話を聞いて終わるのではなく、自分の地域や暮らしの中で、どんな“支え合い”をつくれるかを考えること。食卓の一皿から、子どもたちの安心や親の余白、地域のつながりが生まれていく。ぜひ本編を聴きながら、あなたの身近にある“栄養”のあり方にも目を向けてみてください。

Food Creates a “Third Place” for the Community
Guests: Kazuyuki Sato and Naoko Tanaka, Eiyo Monster

“No matter what happens, each day can still become the best day for you.”
Guided by this concept, Creative Guild core member Yoshie Aruga hosts the radio program It’s Always Sunny! Above the Clouds, the Sun Is Always Shining. In this fifth episode, the guests are Kazuyuki Sato and Naoko Tanaka, who run Eiyo Monster, a community-based dining space in Shirokane-Takanawa, Minato City. The conversation explores how food can support children, parents, and people across generations by creating a warm “third place” within the local community.

Eiyo Monster began with a simple conversation between two parents whose children attended the same kindergarten. As they talked with other families, an idea gradually emerged: “Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a place where children could casually go for a meal?” When an available property appeared in Shirokane-Takanawa, that long-held wish began to take shape, and the dining space opened in October 2023. The name “Eiyo Monster” carries a playful yet meaningful message: it is not only about nutrition from food, but also about nourishing the mind, body, and heart.

One of the most compelling points of this episode is its perspective on how children can be supported in an urban environment. The Shirokane-Takanawa area is home to many cram schools, and children often spend their evenings moving between school, homework, and classes. At the same time, many parents work long hours and struggle with the feeling that they cannot always prepare a warm meal before their children head to cram school. In response, Eiyo Monster offers quick, nourishing meals and snacks for children before class. Children can stop by, eat a rice ball, finish their homework, and head out saying, “I’m off.” These small everyday moments become a source of reassurance created by adults in the community.

A key insight from this episode is that food is not merely a service—it is an entry point for building relationships. The meals prepared by Tanaka are supported by carefully selected ingredients, including freshly milled rice, handmade seasonings using koji, and onions from Awaji Island. Yet what matters most is not only the quality of the ingredients, but the feeling of warmth that comes with them. Rather than simply serving fixed menu items, the team looks at the ingredients available that day and prepares meals in a way that feels close to home cooking. This creates the comfort of “home-style meals” beyond the home itself.

Another powerful message comes from Tanaka’s words: “It’s okay if home-cooked meals are not always cooked at home.” For busy parents, this can be deeply reassuring. Families do not have to carry everything on their own. Having a place in the neighborhood where parents can think, “If that person made it, I know it’s safe,” creates a new kind of support system for raising children and sustaining daily life.

Sato also speaks about food as a way to bring people together. From children and parents to elderly neighbors and people returning home late from work, Eiyo Monster is becoming a place where different generations naturally cross paths. In that sense, it is more than a dining space. It is a community platform rooted in food, care, and everyday trust.

At Creative Guild, stories like this are shared through Creative Learning, allowing insights from real practitioners to reach a wider audience. What matters is not simply listening to a good story, but asking how we might bring similar forms of support into our own communities and daily lives. From a single warm meal, children’s sense of safety, parents’ emotional breathing room, and local relationships can begin to grow.

As you listen to this episode, take a moment to reflect on what kind of “nutrition” exists around you—not only for the body, but also for the heart, the mind, and the community.