Yoya Takahashi leaving Hamasaku
By Kerry Slater
A star sushi chef is departing from the West Los Angeles restaurant he has been running for a number of years.
In an Instagram post this week, Yoya Takahashi announced he will be leaving Hamasaku as Executive Sushi Chef to start a new venture.
Thank you for supporting me at Hamasaku for the past couple of years! I am very grateful for the memories I have made! I’m proud to have been the executive chef at Hamasaku,” reads the post “I will be working on a new project opening the next big chapter of my life! Once again thank you for Hamasaku and all of my friends and customers ! See you around !!”
Born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, Takahashi moved to Los Angeles with dreams of becoming an actor like his grandfather before him in Japan. He quickly found the comfort of home, however, behind a sushi bar in Little Tokyo.
“While he had practiced the art of sushi in Japan, Takahashi met his mentor and his passion for sushi blossomed. His approach to food is deeply rooted in fresh, local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients, which have become the foundation of Takahashi’s personal style,” reads a biography of Takahashi by the LA Food Bank.
