(Pasadena, CA), Wednesday, August 26th, 2015: As one kitchen door closes, another kitchen door opens. At least that is the case for culinary titan and Executive Chef Shigefumi Tachibe, who recently departed from the CHAYA Restaurant Group to focus on his restaurant, Osawa in Pasadena. The two and a half year old Shabu Shabu and Sushi Bar restaurant tucked into the historic heart of Old Town Pasadena on Raymond Street will be seeing a lot more of Chef Tachibe who is shifting his focus to getting back into the kitchen and cooking, just in time to roll out a myriad of Seasonal Specials this fall.
As Corporate Executive Chef of the CHAYA Restaurant Group for the past thirty one years, Chef Tachibe oversaw seven kitchens (the original Chaya Brasserie in Beverly Hills which closed at the end of 2014 after a 31 year run, Chaya Venice, Chaya Brasserie San Francisco and Chaya Downtown Los Angeles, and, the original M Café de Chaya on Melrose Avenue, M Café Beverly Hills and the newest M Café in Brentwood on San Vicente Boulevard) where he created imaginative dishes, as well as passed along his skills, knowledge and sheer love for cooking. Tachibe, schooled in formal French technique at the young age of 15, was not only an instrumental player in launching the Japanese-based CHAYA concept in the United States in 1981, but practically introduced macrobiotic cuisine to mainstream California by way of M Café in Los Angeles.
“CHAYA was my family and I am honored to have spent over thirty years with this incredible company,” says Chef Tachibe. “Now that I am switching my focus from a corporate one to Osawa, I will get to spend more time in the kitchen cooking and getting back to the roots of authentic Japanese cuisine.”
Alongside wife Sayuri Tachibe, Chef Tachibe is currently working on creating Fall Seasonal Specials. This coming autumn, Chef Tachibe confirms that he will be showcasing a myriad of autumn-inspired plates, featuring famers’ market fresh ingredients like earthy Matsutake mushrooms, hearty game meats and of course, a bounty of fresh fall catch, mainly from Japan.
Devoted patrons will be pleased to know that the Osawa Lunch and Dinner menus will feature many fan favorites as the sweltering summer surrenders to the cooler autumn air, boasting astoundingly delicious dishes like Crispy Yuzu Pepper Duck Breast with green onion, eggplant and sweet miso, Ahi Tuna Tataki with avocado, popped wild rice and sesame ponzu, tasty Shabu Shabu offerings of PrimeRib Eye, Rib Eye, Pork Loin and Wagyu Beef from Kyushu, Japan, Baked Soy Marinated Black Cod and fresh Sushicuts, rolls and Sashimi of course. There is a hearty Shokado Bento box, wholesome Udon Bowls of B.B.Q. Eel, Chirashi and Salmon & Ikura and a sweet mini pot of Black Sesame Seed Panna Cotta that is the perfect balance of light and sweet to enjoy after dinner.
But where does the man whose chef knife is housed in the National Museum of American History from the Smithsonian Collection go after this? The culinary world pioneer, whose modesty may just be the only thing that surpasses his talent, is content with working “closer to his new home in Pasadena,” at Osawa. “We will eventually be opening another Osawa and I will be working on new projects in the Greater Los Angeles area. I am excited for this new chapter of growth and I am especially inspired to get back into the kitchen and be more hands on,” says Chef Tachibe.
For those who yearn for even more Chef Tachibe time and would like to see him in action in the kitchen, tune into FOX to see him on Chef Gordon Ramsay’s MasterChef Season 6 “Restaurant Takeover” episode tonight (Wednesday, August 26th, 2015) at 8:00 pm ET/PT.
Osawa is open for Lunch daily from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and Dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5:00 pm to 9:30 pm and Friday and Saturday from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm; For more information or reservations, please visit www.theosawa.com or call Osawa directly at 626.683.1150.
Photo: Chef Shigefumi Tachibe
Photo Credit: Michael Ryan Photography
