Gozu

My first thought about this restaurant was about five years ago after an inspirational trip to Japan. While having been in the culinary world for two decades in New York, Las Vegas, and San Francisco, I saw a culinary frame of reference and dedication to the craft not often seen in the US. I immediately wanted to bring this back and create something that is not commonly experienced in the US and integrate the Japanese idea for hospitality “omotenashi” into our lives.

For the last seven years, I worked as the Business Development Chef for the Alexander’s Steakhouse group in San Francisco. In that time, I helped to grow the company from one restaurant to over five restaurants across the world. I spent many years not only cooking, but building out locations across California as well as launching restaurants in Taiwan and Japan from the ground up. During this time, I was able to dive deeper into the deliberate simplicity which gives way to subtle complexity of Japanese food as well as explore how food is richly interwoven into their way of life and culture.

When I was in Japan opening up the steakhouse, I spent time talking with farmers across the country. Wagyu, the Japanese breed of cattle, has always been a mythical food, across the world, and a particular interest of mine as farming practices are not disclosed to foreigners. As I was sourcing beef for the restaurant, I was introduced to many Wagyu Farmers. Throughout these years I learned about how the genetics, feed, terrior, and the care of the animal played into the flavors. At the time very few farmers would open up to me. Japanese beef farming is so different than our large facilities and I continued to fall deeper in love with it and Japan. There is a true sincerity to how these animals are raised and I was happy to be a part of it.

On a routine visit to pick out a few steers for Alexander’s a farmer asked me a question that changed my culinary direction from then on:. He said “When can you take the entire animal?” I feel like that was the seed of the idea that continued to grow in my head. I incubated that idea for several years thinking about all the beef that was being left behind in Japan. So many flavors and textures can be found in the wagyu breed and in these cuts that are rarely exported to the US. Few people here have the slightest idea.

I continued to grow this idea over the next several years at Alexander’s. I was bringing in cuts I had never worked with, some more than 50 lbs. My curiosity to explore the textures and nuance became skill and from there we really began to create some special things all the while being shadowed by the albatross “Steakhouse”

Two years ago I met my friend and business partner Ben Jorgensen. We talked about this idea that I had been working on, this idea of a restaurant that explores all the flavors and textures, the nuance and subtlety of Japanese beef in its entirety and cooked over fire. Ben quickly adopted the idea and has used many of his resources to help to grow it to the expression that it currently is.

When we began to design the framework for this restaurant we took a business approach, started in reverse and began with a healthy bottom line. We designed the space to be intimate and host a small group of diners. We are creating a healthy environment for our employees, with improved wages, a five day work week, and two nine day breaks a year. We have raised 1.3 of our 1.7mm goal. We are nearly two thirds of the way through construction and are set to open the doors in August.

We have selected our team, all of which I have spent multiple years working beside, which comprises over 50 years of hospitality experience. We have trained and learned from some of the most renowned chefs and restaurateurs and are excited to bring Gozu to life.