Kenji

Chef Kenji's parents were often cooking and entertaining close friends and family, thus he grew up surrounded by food. His humble beginnings began as a bartender in a Japanese restaurant, where he met and apprenticed with the top chef. Chef Kenji's unrelenting drive for culinary excellence rewarded him with a position as a Benihana style chef at an award-winning restaurant in Palm Desert not long after this good fortune. He excelled and flourished in the art of Japanese cooking, and his passion eventually pushed him to take on a much bigger challenge: the Fine Art of Sushi. Chef Kenji was influenced by three main cooking methods during his time there. Chef Kazu taught him how to cook in the traditional Japanese style and discipline. Chef Hiro taught him the complexities of Japanese cooking with a Californian twist. Chef Yamaguchi, last but not least, exposed Chef Kenji's mind, heart, and palate to classic French and Italian culinary excellence. Chef Kenji relocated and imparted his culinary mastery in restaurants as far south as Orange County and as far north as Beverly Hills, CA, USA, where he continues to thrive today, after 6 years of intensive official instruction in the Art of Fine Japanese Cuisine.