{"id":895081,"date":"2026-06-26T22:21:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T22:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/895081\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T22:21:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T22:21:13","slug":"katsuya-uechi-pioneering-sushi-chef-and-creator-of-spicy-tuna-crispy-rice-dies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/895081\/","title":{"rendered":"Katsuya Uechi, pioneering sushi chef and creator of spicy tuna crispy rice, dies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Katsuya Uechi, the master sushi chef behind Katsuya restaurants, has died, his team confirmed on Instagram<\/a>. He was 67.<\/p>\n

\u201cKatsu-San helped shape the Los Angeles sushi landscape and beyond, making Katsuya a household name. Today, we honor his life and legacy by proudly carrying forward the vision he spent a lifetime perfecting,\u201d SBE Group wrote in its statement. <\/p>\n

The Okinawa-born chef altered the DNA of the L.A. sushi scene with his innovative, genre-bending creations. Spicy tuna crispy rice, which he debuted in the early 2000s, has since become a modern staple in sushi restaurants across the U.S. <\/p>\n

Uechi also spun his own signature style of yellowtail sashimi with citrusy ponzu sauce and a fiery disc of jalape\u00f1o or serrano.<\/p>\n

After immigrating from Japan to Los Angeles in the 1980s, Uechi opened the first Sushi Katsu-ya in Studio City in 1997. It was the right place at the right time \u2014 most of the Japanese restaurants on Ventura Boulevard\u2019s Sushi Row were traditional, quiet and rigid. <\/p>\n

When Uechi walked in with world-class training and boundary-pushing ideas, a loyal audience quickly grew, drawn in by his inventive yet still polished flavors. <\/p>\n

After expanding Sushi Katsu-ya to additional locations in Studio City, Encino, Northridge and Woodland Hills, Uechi struck a partnership with Sam Nazarian of the SBE Entertainment Group and French designer Philippe Starck. The parallel Katsuya brand was born, bringing sleek, high-end outposts to Brentwood, Hollywood, downtown and Century City. In the 2010s, the brand went international with locations in the Bahamas, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.<\/p>\n

Along the way, Uechi founded a sushi school with Noritoshi Kanai, the man largely credited with bringing Japanese sushi to Los Angeles<\/a>. In doing so, Uechi said he hoped to address a shrinking pool of professional sushi chefs in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very hard to find good sushi chefs, especially nowadays,\u201d he told The Times in a 2008 interview<\/a>. \u201cIf I can teach how to make sushi well, that\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uechi opened pub-style Izaka-ya by Katsu-ya in Beverly Grove in 2007. A second location followed in Manhattan Beach in 2010. Just down the street from the original Katsu-ya, he launched upscale Kiwami<\/a> in Studio City in 2008, where he personally presided over the sushi bar. <\/p>\n

Uechi\u2019s cause of death is currently unknown.<\/p>\n

\u201cRest in peace, Chef. Your legacy lives on in every guest we welcome and every dish we serve,\u201d the SBE group statement reads.<\/p>\n