Meet Hamasaku's Eccentric, Self-Made Executive Sushi Chef

by Awl Sponsors

The Sushi Chef is a new series about the personalities behind the incredible fish found in New York and LA’s best sushi restaurants. While slicing raw fish may seem simple, we find that in the hands of certain chefs, sushi transcends its identity as just a type of cuisine and truly becomes an art.

Yoya Takahashi, the vocal and eccentric executive sushi chef at Hamasaku in West Los Angeles, never set out to be one of the most influential sushi chefs on the West coast. He originally came to the United States with the dream of following in his grandfather’s footsteps and becoming an actor. Now, after 14 years making sushi, this is the longest time Takahashi has spent doing, well, anything. “Yes! Exactly,” he says, “sushi changed my life.”

When he first came to LA, Takahashi was broke and didn’t speak any English. Needing money, he took a job as a server at a sushi restaurant. Noticing he was a “big guy with a loud voice,” his boss asked if he wanted to start preparing sushi for their customers. “Being a sushi chef is kind of like being a stage actor,” Takahashi says.

Now Takahashi puts all of his creative energy into experimenting with his sushi dishes. He uses everything from shark hearts (which he served for valentines day) to fish sperm sushi. His relentless need to innovate has helped turn Hamasaku into more than just a power lunch spot in LA — it’s also a destination for sushi connoisseurs.

Takahashi finds the greatest pleasure in converting Americans who previously didn’t eat sushi into sushi lovers. He’ll strike up a conversation with his audience from behind the sushi bar to figure out exactly what his audience will like best. For Takahashi, learning about sushi is learning about Japanese culture and history. “That’s why I totally enjoy Los Angeles people getting started to eat sushi.”