Our guest is Katsushi Sakai who is the Sushi Head Chef at Kyo Ya, the iconic Japanese restaurant in East Village, Manhattan. Sushi began to draw attention around 1960s in the US and its popularity has seen exponential growth since 1980s. Who would have imagined 50 years ago that many Americans would eat raw fish on a daily basis?Katsushi came to New York in 2004 after working in Ginza, Tokyo, which is the capital of greatest sushi restaurants. In New York, he built his career from Assistant to Head Chef to Head Chef himself at the legendary Sushiden in NY. He also worked at Sushi Ginza Onodera and Sushi Nakazawa, two of the most reputable sushi restaurants in NYC before he joined Kyo Ya. Katsushi is one of the talented chefs who have been supporting the popularity of sushi in NYC. Today, we will discuss how he built his career as sushi chef, his philosophy of sushi making after 22 years of experience in Japan and New York City in total, how he balances sustainability and highest quality of fish and much, much more! 

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