![\"RJ](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/RJ-Yoakum-Portriat-in-Kitchen-Photo-by-Lauren-Drewes-Daniels.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tRJ Yoakum actually eats like a 5 year-old when he’s a diner and not the chef. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tRJ Yoakum actually eats like a 5 year-old when he’s a diner and not the chef. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Lauren Drewes Daniels<\/p>\n
In this series, we chat with Dallas chefs about trends, kitchen disasters, overhyped ingredients and favorite restaurants. <\/p>\n
For this course, we chat with chef RJ Yoakum, who recently joined the kitchen at Sushi Kozy. The downtown omakase earned a Michelin recommendation<\/a> in 2025, prior to Yoakum\u2019s arrival. And Texas Monthly named it one of the 10 best new restaurants<\/a> in the state. Critic Paula Forbes wrote that Sushi Kozy, which is from Korean-born chef Paul Ko, reminded her of how enjoyable omakeses can be. <\/p>\n RJ Yoakum started his career on the West Coast at The French Laundry and Angler, and at The Clove Club in London. He moved to Dallas to helm the kitchen at Georgie, earning a 2025 James Beard nomination for Emerging Chef. He\u2019s been at Sushi Kozy since January 2026, where we caught up with him prepping in the kitchen.<\/p>\n What\u2019s one food trend that needs to retire immediately?\u00a0 Pick one: Michelin Guide or Luka back?\u00a0 If you\u2019re on a\u00a0date and you want to really get to know a person\u2019s true character \u2014 and if the\u00a0relationship has real potential \u2014 where\u00a0are you taking them?\u00a0 Who\u00a0is a Dallas maker (farmer, pastry chef, barkeep) you wish more people knew about?\u00a0 What\u2019s the soundtrack to your favorite meal (that you\u2019re cooking and serving to other people)? What dish will you be most remembered for?\u00a0 What are some of your favorite restaurants in Dallas right now?\u00a0 Should caviar really be on everything?\u00a0 What\u2019s the worst thing that\u2019s ever happened in your kitchen?\u00a0 What\u2019s the most\u00a0under-appreciated position\/job in a restaurant?\u00a0 What menu embellishment makes you crazy?\u00a0 What is something that, if you see on a menu, you\u2019re ordering immediately? What\u2019s the toughest challenge facing the restaurant industry right now? What has having the Michelin Guide in Texas done for Dallas dining?\u00a0 Who should we talk to next?
<\/strong>Big, night clubby, corporate, restaurants or food influencers bashing restaurants online.<\/p>\n\n
<\/strong>Michelin. I am from Southern California. Go Lakers<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Well, I am not going on any more first dates \u2026 but in a terrible world, it would start at Put Put and finish off at the Old Monk.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Yseut Berlinger of Epicurine Herb Farm. Dyan Ng, pastry chef for Travis Street Hospitality. And Allie Nault, the wine and beverage director for Mamani and Namo. <\/p>\n
<\/strong>Rufus du Sol, or any old \u201990s or early 2000s rap\/hip-hop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Tough question, but honestly, whatever I hope to make next. Onion soup, potato churro, grilled cheese, Big Macs, mushroom pavlova, deviled eggs and smoked oyster flan are all things I think people enjoy and ask for. <\/p>\n
<\/strong>In no order: Meridan, Mamani, Mot Hai Bai, Via Torizzi. <\/p>\n
<\/strong>I am the worst person to ask on this. Everything in moderation, use caviar with a purpose and definitely understand the flavor profiles between the different types.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Brunch on Mother\u2019s Day, my first year in Dallas; or 90 turkeys arriving for Thanksgiving and not having a place to put them. <\/p>\n
<\/strong>Dishwasher and the assistant general manager. <\/p>\n
<\/strong>Homemade or using a pruveyor\/ specific brand you know they don\u2019t use because it\u2019s not around anymore<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Mac cheese, chicken nuggets or a smash burger. I eat like a five-year-old when I\u2019m out. <\/p>\n
<\/strong>Too many big restaurants opening and saturating the market<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Held us accountable \u2026 to work harder and be more consistent. Evolution.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Christophe de Lellis and Paul Ko. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RJ Yoakum actually eats like a 5 year-old when he’s a diner and not the chef. Lauren Drewes…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":664747,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,27144,1596,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-664746","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-chefs","10":"tag-dallas","11":"tag-texas","12":"tag-tx","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-united-states-of-america","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116250972653675297","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=664746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/664747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=664746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=664746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=664746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}