(born 1 May 1954) is a Japanese chef and restaurateur. He is the owner of

Masa ''Masa'' (or ''masa de maíz'') (; ) is a maize dough that comes from ground nixtamalization, nixtamalized corn. It is used for making corn tortillas, ''gorditas'', ''tamales'', ''pupusas'', and many other Latin American cuisine, Latin American d ...

, a three-

Michelin-starred The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

and

sushi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is " ...

restaurant in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

.Michelin rolls out 2011 NYC restaurant guide
, CNN.com, October 6, 2010, Accessed November 9, 2010. He is also owner of Bar Masa, with two locations: one adjacent to his New York City restaurant, and one in the

Aria Resort & Casino Aria Resort and Casino is a luxury resort and casino, part of the CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Aria consists of two curved glass and steel highrise towers adjoined at the center. It opened on December 16, 2009 a ...

on the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of ...

Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the 2020 census, making it the fif ...

Early years

Born in

Kuroiso, Tochigi , formerly a city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, is a district located in the modern city of Nasushiobara. The former city was founded on November 1, 1970. In 2003, the city had an estimated population of 60,145 and a density of 175.29 persons per ...

, a small town three hours north of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Takayama's parents owned a fish shop and a catering business.Alex Witchel
Food From a Perfectionist Does Not Come Cheap, or Easy
''The New York Times'', March 17, 2004, Accessed November 8, 2010. He began cutting fish as a child.Michael Neill, Nancy Matsumoto

''People'', November 19, 1990, Accessed November 7, 2010. His brother and three sisters all helped in the store, loading the fish into the display cases before school. After school, Takayama would get on his bicycle and deliver

sashimi is a Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish or meat sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with soy sauce. Origin The word ''sashimi'' means "pierced body", i.e. "刺身" = ''sashimi'', where 刺し = ''sashi'' (pierced, stuck) ...

his father had made. In the spring, which is wedding season in Japan, the family catered celebrations, typically five-course dinners for 200 guests where he would help all day at the expense of school. In high school, he wanted to become a

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

. After high school, he apprenticed for eight years at the famous Sushiko in Tokyo's upscale

Ginza Ginza ( ; ja, 銀座 ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo, with numerous intern ...

district.Sushiko Review
''Frommer's'', Accessed November 7, 2010. As per traditional culinary apprenticeship in Japan, he spent many of those years working on the mundane tasks of dishwasher and bathroom cleaner before rising to the level of sushi chef. In 1978, a vacation to Los Angeles convinced him to move to the United States. In 1980, Takayama opened his first restaurant in Los Angeles, Saba-ya. He planned to eventually open a restaurant that would be closer to what was available in Japan, a plan that he felt he fulfilled with his second restaurant, Ginza Sushiko.

Ginza Sushiko

Ginza Sushiko, sometimes spelled Ginza Sushi-ko, opened in 1987 in the corner of a

mini-mall A strip mall, strip center or strip plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. ...

of an unglamorous section of

Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue in the Financial District of downtown Los Angeles. One of the principal ...

; it was not far from Saba-ya. Originally aimed at Japanese diners, it did not advertise and had an unlisted telephone number. However, it quietly gained a reputation as the most expensive restaurant in Los Angeles, and a place for food purists. Instead of a menu, diners were served

omakase is a Japanese phrase, used when ordering food in restaurants, that means 'I'll leave it up to you' (from Japanese ). Usage The phrase ''omakase'', literally 'I leave it up to you', is most commonly used when dining at Japanese restaurants ...

and meals lasted two to three hours. Takayama would keep a careful record of each customer, the date he or she dined at the restaurant, how many were in the party, what they drank and what they ate so that he could offer them something new on their next visit. He would have most of his fish flown in from the

Tsukiji fish market is a major tourist attraction for both domestic and overseas visitors in Tokyo. The area contains retail markets, restaurants, and associated restaurant supply stores. Before 2018, it was the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the wor ...

in Tokyo. In 1990, the average bill without alcohol, depending on the amount eaten by a customer and the fluctuating price of fish, ranged from $125 to $150 per person. Ginza Sushiko garnered some celebrity attention.

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

, who would frequently visit the restaurant after hours with his family, was the only customer to whom Takayama would deliver food. After eight years at its original location, it moved in 1992 to more fashionable and upscale

Rodeo Drive Rodeo Drive is a street in Beverly Hills, California, with its southern segment in the City of Los Angeles. Its southern terminus is at Beverwil Drive, and its northern terminus is at its intersection with Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The ...

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

. The 12-seat restaurant cemented its status as L.A.'s most expensive and exclusive sushi restaurant.S. Irene Virbila
Beyond Sushi
''Los Angeles Times'', June 22, 2003, Accessed November 8, 2010. A decade later, Takayama decided to try a change of surroundings and sold Ginza Sushiko to his ''

sous-chef A sous-chef is a chef who is second in command in a kitchen; the person ranking next after the head chef, usually the more hands on manager with regards to training staff and organising the kitchen. Duties and functions The sous-chef has many re ...

'', who changed the name to Urasawa.

Restaurants

In 2004, Takayama opened his

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

restaurant,

, in New York City. Located in recently constructed

Time Warner Center Deutsche Bank Center (also One Columbus Circle and formerly Time Warner Center) is a mixed-use building on Columbus Circle in Manhattan, New York City. The building occupies the western side of Columbus Circle and straddles the border between ...

, it had a 26-seat dining area. The idea for the location came from fellow chef and admirer

Thomas Keller Thomas Aloysius Keller (born October 14, 1955) is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Founda ...

, who was opening his own restaurant,

Per Se Per se may refer to: * ''per se'', a Latin phrase meaning "by itself" or "in itself". * Illegal ''per se'', the legal usage in criminal and antitrust law * Negligence ''per se'', legal use in tort law *Per Se (restaurant) Per Se is a New Ameri ...

, in the complex. Continuing the ideas he developed in Los Angeles, Masa continued to serve only an omakase menu, tracking his customers' meals and reactions, and sourced 90% of his fish from Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market. Restaurant Masa garnered the Michelin Guide's highest rating starting in the 2009 edition and was the first Japanese restaurant in the U.S. to do so.Masa and Mas Win in New Food Guides
''The New York Times'', October 8, 2008, Accessed November 8, 2010.Ryan Sutton
Masa's $1,000 Meals Earn 3 Michelin Stars; Ko Gets 2
Bloomberg.com, October 6, 2008, Accessed November 8, 2010. It was one of the few restaurants in New York City to hold a four out of four star rating by ''The New York Times'', but was downgraded to 3 stars in 2011. It has also received five out of five stars in the

Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Travel Guide (formerly known as Mobil Guide or Mobil Travel Guide) is a star rating service and online travel guide for hotels, restaurants and spas. In 2011, Forbes Travel Guide published its last set of guidebooks and on November 15, 2011 ...

(formerly known as the Mobil Guide).Masa
Forbes Travel Guide, Accessed November 9, 2010. Two a la carte offshoots of the flagship in New York followed, ''Bar Masa'' and ''Kappo Masa''. A second ''Bar Masa'' opened in the Aria Resort & Casino in

CityCenter Aria Campus, commonly known by its former name CityCenter, is a mixed-use, urban complex on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is located on and contains a total of . The complex includes Aria Resort and Casino, the Vdara condo-hotel, t ...

on the

in December 2009.Betty Hallock
Masa Takayama brings Bar Masa and Shaboo to Las Vegas
''Los Angeles Times'', December 7, 2009, Accessed November 8, 2010. The restaurant also included ''Shaboo'', an upscale omakase-style

shabu-shabu ''Shabu-shabu'' ( ja, しゃぶしゃぶ, shabushabu) is a Japanese '' nabemono'' hotpot dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water and served with dipping sauces. The term is onomatopoeic, derived from the sound – "swish sw ...

dining room that charges approximately $500 per person without drinks.Ryan Sutton
Masa’s $500 Shaboo Hot-Pot Meal Seduces Lonely Diner in Vegas
Bloomberg.com, January 20, 2010, Accessed November 8, 2010. In 2012 ''Shaboo'' was replaced by ''Tetsu'', with a Yakitori-based menu emphasizing grilled fare, and featuring both a la carte and Omakase menus. In November 2017 Masa opened a second branch of ''Tetsu'' in New York City's

Tribeca Tribeca (), originally written as TriBeCa, is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Its name is a syllabic abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street". The "triangle" (more accurately a quadrilateral) is bounded by Canal Stre ...

neighborhood.

Personal life

Takayama married Hisako Ishii, a Japanese native studying English he met at an

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

sushi bar where he worked, in 1979. Together they had three children before they separated, one of whom, Catherine Takayama, is a pastry chef at

The French Laundry The French Laundry is a three-Michelin star French and Californian cuisine restaurant located in Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley. Sally Schmitt opened The French Laundry in 1978 and designed her menus around local, seasonal ingredie ...

. He plays golf, runs

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

s and is also a

potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US * Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska * Potters, New Je ...

who designed the plates at Masa, along with

sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...

cups of wood and bamboo. He lives on the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

of Manhattan in New York City.Elizabeth A. Harris
Masa Takayama’s New House Has Lots of Room for Dinner Guests
''The New York Times'', June 3, 2010, Accessed November 8, 2010.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Takayama, Masa 1954 births Living people Businesspeople from New York City Japanese chefs Japanese expatriates in the United States Japanese restaurateurs Head chefs of Michelin starred restaurants People from Manhattan People from Tochigi Prefecture