Chef Shuffles

Sashi Chef Yoya Takahashi Joins Hamasaku

Smoked salmon with apple ceviche
Smoked salmon with apple ceviche Photo: Hamasaku

Hamasaku, Michael Ovtiz’s West L.A. sushi spot, recently brought in a new head chef to work alongside executive chef Wonny Lee, whose modernist flare we recently explored here. Coming from Manhattan Beach’s Sashi, Kyoto-born Yoya Takahashi is already swapping out the restaurant’s white rice for partially-milled haiga mai, which bears a similar texture but retains its inner layer of nutrient-rich rice germ. He’s also adding new dishes like box sushi using unagi and tamago and the salmon with apple ceviche you see above. As per a press release, we also learn, he’s a bit of a Deadhead.

Sashi Chef Yoya Takahashi Joins Hamasaku