Kristi: Sushi is so much mor than fish on rice is our guest.

Successful sushi restaurant tours can go keto often says, well, let's find out why.

His tenacious desire to offer the best possible product keeps his customer coming back for more and more.

Go!

Thank for welcoming us into your home.

Kengo Kato: Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Kristi:So tell us a little bit more about the business and how you got started.

Kengo Kato: So well, my early life, born and raised in New York, my parents were hard working, restaurant tours as well.

My dad came in 66 opened his first restaurant on Fifth Avenue, in New York City.

So I was kind of born into the business, fell in love with the business.

And at the age of 16, I actually decided that this is what I want to be.

This is what I want to do.

Cooking.

Being in the restaurant business, I actually started training at an Italian restaurant, not a Japanese restaurant, for a little bit, but eventually, you know, went back to my dad and he was like, hey, take me back.

Like, hey let's, let's do this together.

So, in a traditional setting a traditional Japanese setting, we're required to train a the family restaurant for a year and then go elsewhere, where for, like a minimum of four years and train and and then eventually come back.

So, my mother was still alive at that time, so the three of us, started running, the three restaurants in New York City.

And my dad was like, okay, you know, it's time to go train at a at a restaurant.

And I was fortunate enough to be able to work at this amazin traditional Japanese restaurant, on 44th Street between, said, the Madison and a place called Cuba.

Which kind of, you know, I always I still go back and think about how I was trained and how, the techniques and the simplicity and tradition of Japanese food.

Kristi:And, you know, you talk about community and the power of communit and the power of partnerships.

That's one of the secrets to your success.

Is it really about some of the community partnerships that you've had as well?

Tell us a little bit more about that.

Kengo Kato: So, I mean, you know a lot about this community as well.

And Toledo is just so great.

Again, the support that that people have given can go to and, and the Kengo, name of the Kengo family, it's just been great.

Kristi: Now you, for example, have a restaurant at the casino, correct?

Kengo Kato: Right.

So two years ago, a little over two years ago or three years ago, almost.

They came up to m and, you know, talked it over, and I was like, oh my gosh, this is like a record deal.

But then I was like, okay, well, this is kind of crazy.

This isn't really my realm of.

Kristi:Yeah, you've got a sush restaurant at a casino, right?

So how's that going to work?

Kengo Kato: We love being partners with them.

It's it's definitely a learning experience.

And it's definitely a grea friendship, a great partnership.

But again most of all, it's it's been such a great friendship and, and the supportive group that that I learned a lot from for sure.

Kristi:Great partnership, great collaboration.

And you're celebrating ten years I.

Am.

Kristi: February.

That's impressive.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Let's talk about the secret to your lungs.

Kengo Kato: Wow.

Again I always say love and passion.

And I've always said if you do something tha you love and you have a product that you you're behind with your love and passion, the money will follow.

And I've always said, and I always tell these guys that, you know, we put fish on rice and if we don't do that with love and passion, it's just fish on rice and we make i sushi and we make it yakitori, you know, unless there's love and passion behind that.

Again, it's just meat on a stick or fish on rice.

And I think that's the secret to our longevity.

And I have I've been blessed to have, a family and a staff that, that supports that and understands that.

Kristi: Well, your passion shows through the love of what you do, shows through and everything you do and every one of your restaurants.

And I know there's some growth that's coming.

You're going to be opening restaurant number four.

Kengo Kato: We are, we are.

We're super excited about it.

There's some, some hoops and hurdles that we've been, an obstacle that we've been coming across.

But, it is a Japanes fried chicken restaurant, love.

It's going to be a lot of fun.

It's going to be great.

Have going to have a great staff lined up for it.

It's more of a bar scene.

Yeah.

It's it'll be great.

Kristi: It's really exciting.

You know and I think about this business, being a sushi chef and restaurateur, and there' some really uniqueness to that.

So tell us more about a day in the life of Kengo.

Is there such a thing as routine or is everyday all about routine?

Kengo Kato: Yeah, and when that routine gets a little sidetracked, they get really flustered and irritated and, yeah, my wife will tell you all about that part of.

Kristi: I mean, it is incredible how long you've been in business, how many people want to get in the doors.

And it's always always and often so crazy busy.

Kengo Kato: It's been great.

Kristi: So how do you what i your secret sauce, so to speak?

What is your uniqueness in terms of the food and the deliciousness of the sushi?

That is just it keeps people coming back and people just can't get enough of your restaurant.

Kengo Kato: Well, we do something called Omakase Set, which is, right at the sushi bar.

5 to 6 seats, two seatings a night.

It's right in front of me.

We do three special dishes in the beginning of a few.

A few sticks from from the grill and then we do a full, ful repertoire of the freshest fish of the evening.

But, I mean, the secret sauce is, again, it's it's that love and passion and and the people of Toledo have really become family.

You know, they walk in and we're just like, hey, it's so good to see you.

And it's not about like, what's good tonight.

It's just like, you know, the the first thing they ask is, how's your family doing?

It's like they really care, you know?

And so that's what it is.

Kristi: It's true, it's true.

Now when you come in every day, what inspires you the most?

Kengo Kato: My dad always inspires me for what he did.

As a Japanese immigrant he still doesn't speak English very well.

But, I mean, in 1966, he opened up a restaurant on Fifth Avenue.

Or, So he inspires me every day.

There's also a few saying that my dad never really gave me birthday gifts or Christmas presents.

But he likes, he loves.

He's really good at, Japanese brush calligraphy.

He's written me a few letters.

Three of them are actually hanging on the wall back there, an one of them is just like tango.

Never give up or try.

Try again.

And then another one is, kneeling and, no, you know, you show up on the photo, and that means, a human's life is, is with, genuine soul.

And then cooking also is with a genuine soul.

So there's a few things up there that I, I walk in and I see that every day, so.

Kristi: Well, that's just it.

Your lov and your passion comes through the quality of your product.

Yes.

Everything you're doing with the food you're serving, the involvement in the community, the inspiration that you have, it all shows through.

So thanks for being so amazing and what you do for being a great part of this community.

Kengo Kato: Appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thanks for having me here.

Kristi: You bet.

Yeah.

Kengo Kato: Thank you.

Kristi: An let's head back to the studio.