Born in Sasebo, Japan of an American father and Japanese mother, AJ spent nearly 12 years shuffling between the major metropolitan cities of Yokohama and Yokosuka.
Having grown up in a family of wonderful cooks, it only became natural that he would carry on the tradition of fine cooking into his everyday life. (Ask him about his grandmother and aunt.)
Moving to Tampa with his family in 1982, he followed his mother into the restaurant business by becoming host and eventually cashiering at Benihana of Tokyo. Once he turned 16 years of age, he seized an opportunity to cook on open mesquite grills at the old location of Whiskey Joe’s on the Causeway.
At the age of 18, he was offered an opportunity to train as a Teppanyaki chef at the Benihana of Tokyo in the Gateway Hilton Resort Hotel in Lake Buena Vista in Orlando, Florida. After an arduous two-year apprenticeship under master chefs, he remained on their cooking staff for another six years, perfecting his culinary skills.
Finally, his curiosity pertaining to food preparation prevailed, and he spent the next several years studying the culinary arts of French, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, American and the more traditional styles of Japanese cooking.
Following a five-year period as the Executive Chef of Sushi Tsu, he was offered an opportunity to realize his dream of a lifetime, the ownership of his own Japanese Steakhouse/Sushi Bar. AJ took over the ownership and complete management of Sushi Tsu in January of 2010 with this comment:
“It is my dream for my guests to share my passion for the best that fine dining can offer; a complete see, feel and taste experience, and to enjoy the company and companionship of a first class staff of professionals.”
