Happy Supply Cafe Spica ～ A Café Run by a Registered Dietitian, Bringing Happiness to Everyone Who Visits

Interview with owner Eriko Kawanishi

A cafe that brings energy and happiness with its vitamin-colored decor, cafe menu, and the smiles of its staff.

We spoke with Happy supply cafe spica owner Eriko Kawanishi about how she became a registered dietitian, what led her to open the cafe, and her thoughts behind it.

If I was going to open a shop, I wanted it to make an impact as “a place with a registered dietitian”

Before we talk about the cafe, could you tell us what led you to pursue becoming a registered dietitian?

Kawanishi (surname only)

Perhaps because I watched my grandparents cook from a young age, I loved cooking. I was also a health nut, influenced by television.

I liked cooking, but I didn’t want to turn something I loved into work and end up hating it, so at first I didn’t aim to become a chef.

In high school, I wanted to become a dog groomer.
But when I visited a grooming school while considering further education, I thought that environment might not suit me.

So I considered going to a school where I could put my love of cooking to use. I thought it would be nice not only to cook, but also to plan menus, so I went to a junior college where I could earn a dietitian’s license.

I earned my dietitian’s license when I graduated from junior college, then worked at a hospital.

Did you study for your registered dietitian’s license while working?

Kawanishi

I studied while working. While working at the hospital, I started wanting to cook.

At hospitals, the main thing is planning menus, and I really wanted to cook. While working at the hospital, I began wanting to open a cafe. I could have stayed a dietitian, but I decided to earn my registered dietitian’s license.

Don’t you think a cafe with a registered dietitian makes an impact?

Also, since I had a dietitian’s license and work experience, I met the eligibility requirements to take the registered dietitian exam, so I thought it would be a waste not to take it.

After earning my registered dietitian’s license, I worked for five years as a university assistant to save money to open a cafe. I was hired as an assistant, but for some reason, in my final year before leaving, I was assigned to the student cafeteria.

The cooking experience I gained then is useful at my cafe today.

I wanted to create a cafe not found in Kojima, where everyone can be happy

What kind of cafe did you set out to create?

Kawanishi

I love visiting cafes and had been to many different ones.
For spica’s interior, I hired the company that had worked on my favorite cafe.

I aimed to create a stylish place where you can enjoy a proper meal, with a great selection of sweets and drinks.　

The interior is unified with vitamin-colored orange.
We brought together furnishings and accessories centered on orange, which lifts your spirits and makes you feel happy.

I serve the kinds of things I want to eat.
The menu offers meals you can eat every day, with a good balance of rice and side dishes. I was also committed to making it a place with not only meals, but sweets and drinks as well.

There aren’t many places in Kojima that offer meals, sweets, and drinks all in one. Since there are no places like that in Kojima, people from Kojima go to Kurashiki or Okayama.

Part of the reason is that this is my hometown, but I chose this location because I wanted to create something Kojima didn’t have.

Able to create menus that are kind to nature and the body

Is there anything you keep in mind when planning the menu?

Kawanishi

Since I focus on meals that can be eaten every day, the main dish in the Happy lunch (daily set meal) varies between chicken, pork, fish, and so on.

The spica bowl (rice bowl dish) changes weekly, and I don’t repeat the same menu. At most, the same menu appears only about twice a year.

I suppose the main thing I keep in mind is changing the menu.
Even without making a special effort, I think providing balanced meals every day is simply part of being a registered dietitian.

At spica, our lunches are meant to be eaten every day and keep you healthy.

Do you pay much attention to the amount of salt or nutritional value?

Kawanishi

I don’t calculate nutritional values in detail, but I plan menus by thinking about ingredients and what would be enough to eat in a day.

Adding root vegetables to soup or using tomatoes for seasoning lets us reduce salt while making the most of the ingredients’ natural flavors.

It’s important that the food isn’t too strongly flavored and can be eaten every day.

Hopes for the future

Is there anything you’re aiming for?

Kawanishi

The most important thing is that people enjoy their meals.

When customers ask, “What’s in this?” I think, “Aha!” It’s proof they enjoyed it. I have nothing to hide, so I answer whatever they ask.

I’d also like to increase the number of people who drink tea.
When people think of cafes, they tend to choose coffee, don’t they? I want to tell people that tea is delicious, too, alongside coffee.

We offer a wide variety of teas on the menu so that people can enjoy tasting different kinds.

We haven’t been able to hold them recently because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but we also hold tea classes at the cafe and at community centers.

Apart from meals, I’d like people to use the cafe as a gallery.
We’ve made it possible to display works on the walls, so people can exhibit paintings, photographs, and other works.

Not many people have used it yet, so I’d like more people to know that it can also be used as a gallery.

The way you use it is up to you! Why not visit a cafe that brings happiness?

From the moment you enter, spica’s vitamin-colored interior lifts your spirits and makes you feel happy.

Every menu item is handmade by the owner, a registered dietitian, to bring happiness and health to both body and mind.

Whether you use it for lunch, a cafe visit, or a gallery, the choice is yours.

Why not visit spica, a cafe that brings happiness?

Happy supply cafe spica details

Name	Happy supply cafe spica
Address	1-70 Kojima Ekimae, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, Marugen Building, 1st floor
Contact	086-697-5886
Parking	Available 3 spaces
Hours	10:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m. (last order 6:00 p.m.)
Closed	Thursday Also closed on the third Wednesday of each month
Payment methods	Cash
Reservations	Accepted
Seating	20 seats total ・Counter: 5 seats ・5 tables: 15 seats
Smoking	Entirely non-smoking
Restroom	Western-style toilet
Families with children	・Strollers allowed, but there is a step ・Children’s tableware available ・Children’s chairs available ・Kids’ menu available
Website	Happy supply cafe spica

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