America’s Best Sushi Made in the Meat Kingdom

Our guest today is David Yoshitomo Utterback, the chef/owner of Yoshitomo in Omaha, Nebraska. Japanese sushi has become a big part of American food culture. The presence of many great non-Japanese sushi chefs in the U.S. proves that sushi does not belong only to Japan. These chefs serve to inspire the tradition and help push it further. David is a classic example of one of these chefs. He was nominated for Best Chef: Midwest by the James Beard Foundation in 2023, and this year, his restaurant Yoshitomo has been nominated for the 2024 Outstanding Restaurant Award by the Foundation as a semifinalist (the results of this competition will be announced on June 10th in Chicago). Also, the Washington Post named Yoshitomo one of America’s best sushi restaurants in December 2023. On this episode, we will discuss how David got into the world of sushi, how he studied sushi-making in Omaha, Nebraska (where beef is king), his original sushi that merges the tradition and American-style umami, his collaborations with Japanese sushi chefs, and much, much more!!! Photo courtesy of Joshua Foo.

Om Podcasten

What is Japanese food? Sushi, or ramen, or kaiseki? What about Izakaya? Akiko Katayama, a Japanese native, New York-based food writer and director of the New York Japanese Culinary Academy, tells you all about real Japanese food and food culture. With guests ranging from sake producers with generations of experience to American chefs pushing the envelope of Japanese gastronomy, Japanese cuisine is demystified here!