EXECUTIVE CHEF
Born in Chicago, Executive Chef Mari Katsumura was fully immersed in culinary culture at a young age. Raised directly above her family’s restaurant, Yoshi’s Café, Katsumura spent many afternoons as a child watching Julia Child and Jacques Pépin on public television. Following time spent in several of Chicago’s acclaimed kitchens, Katsumura’s brings a wide range of expertise and passion as leader of both the savory and pastry kitchens at Yūgen.
Inspired by both her Japanese heritage and classic French training, Chef Katsumura will present a menu rooted in culture, passion and unsung flavor while showcasing her fresh, energetic approach to contemporary Japanese fare.
Originally dreaming of becoming an artist, Katsumura attended liberal arts college in Hudson Valley, NY, studying art history and studio arts. She then moved to Minnesota and had a reawakening, inspiring her to enroll in culinary school. Katsumura attended Le Cordon Bleu (Mendota Heights, MN) and shortly thereafter pursued an education at The French Pastry School (Chicago, IL).
Katsumura’s style has been refined in many of Chicago’s most esteemed kitchens. She began her professional savory career with an internship under Chef Rick Bayless at Frontera Grill, and was hired at the original Xoco. Following her transition to pastry, Katsumura completed an internship at Boka and was part of the opening team at The Pump Room working closely with Chef Jean Georges Vongerichten and becoming Pastry Sous Chef. Katsumura then spent three years at Grace as part of the team that was awarded three Michelin stars. Subsequently, she worked under Chef Dana Cree as Pastry Sous Chef at Paul Kahan’s flagship restaurant Blackbird. Following time spent in several of Chicago’s award-winning kitchens, she joined Chef Ryan McCaskey at the two-star Michelin rated restaurant Acadia. Shortly thereafter, Katsumura joined the opening team at Lakeview’s Entente with Executive Chef Brian Fisher; the restaurant was awarded a prestigious Michelin star in 2018. Katsumura has been, and always will be, captivated by the cooking process as a whole. Her mentors include her father, the beloved Chef Yoshi Katsumura, along with Chef Dana Cree, from whom she’s learned invaluable life lessons and kitchen practices.
Katsumura describes her cooking style is progressive Japanese founded upon classical French technique.
“It is a dream to bring a contemporary Japanese concept to life,” said Katsumura. “My mother and late father, Yoshi Katsumura, taught me early on about hospitality. I grew up in their restaurant, watching and learning what it means to build your life around the pleasure of serving others. At home, we prepared and ate traditional Japanese dishes that shortened the distance between us and my parents’ homeland. It had – and continues to have – tremendous influence on my desire to recreate that powerful effect in my own cooking.
This restaurant is, in many ways, a culmination of my familial upbringing as well as that of the kitchens in which I have been privileged to work. I look forward to honoring my family’s legacy by bringing our heirloom recipes to life while expressing my vision as a fine dining chef today.”