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Food

The Sushi Chef: Yoya Takahashi

Yoya Takahashi takes his edible art very seriously, but that hasn’t stopped him from experimenting with nontraditional ingredients—fish sperm sushi, anyone?

Yoya Takahashi once dreamt of following in his grandfather's footsteps and becoming an actor. But these days, the executive sushi chef of Hamasaku has realized a different Hollywood dream, with both starlets and execs streaming in for power lunches at his sushi bar in a nondescript strip mall in West LA. Takahashi takes his edible art very seriously, but that hasn't stopped him from experimenting with nontraditional ingredients—fish sperm sushi, anyone?

The Sushi Chef is a new series about the personalities behind the incredible fish found in the best sushi restaurants from coast to coast. Slicing raw fish may seem simple, but in the hands of certain chefs, sushi transcends its identity as a type of cuisine and truly becomes an art.

Season 1 Episode 1 of The Sushi Chef. Watch more