Kitchen Stage Demonstration
Featured Programs

The following three guests will demonstrate their skills at the Japanese Food & Sake Festival. Pick your favorite chef and come join us at their time of performance. (Warning: The amount of servings from this demonstration is very limited and is on a first come first serve basis)

Chef Uechi
Katsu-ya Restaurant

Born in Okinawa, Japan, Chef Katsuya Uechi began his career as a chef at the Harbor View Hotel in Okinawa. He moved to Los Angeles to challenge his skills 22 years ago at various sushi restaurants and opened his first Sushi Katsu-Ya location in Studio City in 1997. Since then, Katsu-ya has opened up five restaurants and its been known for their quality and attention to detail in every dish.

The transparent ocean and most importantly, the island food that is known to be the healthiest diet in the world, makes Okinawa Japan’s paradise. At this year’s Japanese Food & Sake Festival, Chef Uechi will be holding two demonstrations. For his first demonstration, he will be cutting a whole tuna into a bite size nigiri sushi for the audience. For the second demonstration, he will offer you a taste of his hometown by serving tuna carpaccio with a hint of Shikuwasa juice, an Okinawan citrus fruit. Shikuwasa is known to regulate your blood pressure, blood sugar and vitamin C. Come join Chef Uechi to experience this rare dish and go home healthy the Okinawa way.

Mr. Junki Yoshida
Yoshida Sauce

Most well known for his zany marketing tactics selling Yoshida’s Gourmet Sauces, Junki Yoshida is a living embodiment of the “American Dream.”

With determination and perseverance developed from humble beginnings in a family of seven children combined with years of martial arts training as an 7^th degree black belt and world referee, Junki has established himself as the successful business owner of 18 companies. His unique ventures include transportation and global logistics, supply chain and packaging engineering, a fine dining restaurant, and much more.

Aside from his entrepreneurial activities, Junki also finds time to serve on many charitable boards including the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation and Ronald McDonald House Charities NW, as well as being a trustee for the Children’s Cancer Association. He can often be spotted jumping around at charitable auctions encouraging the raising of paddles or appearing on bus ads proudly promoting  “Yoshida’s Annual Sand in the City” benefiting the Kids on the Block Awareness Program.

Consistent in his attempt to “make a difference,” Mr. Yoshida currently serves as an Oregon Economy and Community Development Commissioner, and Vice President of the USA National Karate-Do Federation, the official governing body of the U.S. karate Olympic committee.

For all of these accomplishments, it comes as no surprise that he has been recognized with numerous awards by both charitable and business organizations. Such honors include being indoctrinated into the SBA Hall of Fame and named as one of the Top 100 Most Respected Japanese in the World by Japanese Newsweek Magazine.

From living in his car and nearly dying of starvation to owning a multi-million dollar conglomerate and traveling the world as a motivational speaker, Mr. Yoshida’s journey is truly one of inspiration and an encouragement to others also in search of “The American Dream.”

Chef Shima
Sushi Roku

Chef Hiroshi Shima was born in Hokkaido, Japan where he learned the art of traditional Kaiseki cuisine, traditional multi-course Japanese dinner, by training under several master chefs in Kyoto. After 15 years of training, Chef Shima moved to Los Angeles to explore western cooking styles and joined Sushi Roku Hollywood 14 years later. He was soon promoted to be Executive Sushi Chef and now he over sees all four Sushi Roku's as well as KATANA restaurant in the heart of Hollywood.

The world’s sandai chinmi, or the top three culinary delicacies are known to be cavier, truffle and foie gras. The three best-known chinmi of Japan are pickled sea urchin roe (uni), pickled mullet roe (karasumi) and pickled sea cucumber guts (konowata). Chef Shima will give you the opportunity to try a dish that would include one of the world’s and one of Japan’s top three culinary delicacies. For this year’s Japanese Food & Sake Festival, Chef Shima will prepare a kelp-marinated fish sashimi with karasumi and truffle toppings. Yes! Karasumi AND truffle as the toppings. His demonstration at this event will sure be an experience you’ll never forget.