Chef Naruki Matsumoto was born in Osaka, Japan. Matsumoto first came to the United States in 1999 where he began apprenticing at Sushi Nozawa. His first mentor Mr. Nozawa is a master sushi chef that instilled in Matsumoto the “Omakase,” aesthetic. This traditional Japanese style involves how to choose the finest quality fish at the fish market in the early morning and also the best techniques to prepare each type of fish. After two years of training under Mr. Nozawa, Matsumoto used his knowledge to begin working at Hirozen in 2001 where he began as a kitchen chef helper.

At Hirozen, Matsumoto learned the fine art of Kaiseki from the former owner chef, Mr. Hiroji Obayashi. Within a year of working at Hirozen, Matsumoto’s expertise led to him being promoted to head sushi chef. Now after 15 years as Hirozen’s head sushi chef, Matsumoto has recently taken over the establishment’s ownership and renamed the restaurant, Matsumoto.