Take the Carson Street exit from the110 freeway, drive west for about five minutes, and you will find an authentic Japanese kappo restaurant called Kappo Seafood inside the East Gateway Plaza. Carefully selected in-season ingredients are used to provide the very best in delicate Japanese cuisine at Kappo Seafood. Several expert chefs exhibit their sophisticated skills and sensitivity to the fullest in order to satisfy Kappo’s customers. Yukio Shintaku is one of these chefs and strives continually in pursuit of culinary excellence.

Yukio was born in Kyoto. His family ran a famous catering business, so Yukio was exposed to the food industry from very early on. He studied business in college. When he was a senior, after much deliberation, Yukio came to the conclusion that becoming a chef would be an attractive job. That is why Yukio trained at the Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka after graduating from college. About 40% of the students at the Institute were female. And most of the students wanted to hone their skills in order to open their own restaurants someday. It was against school regulations to taste food prepared by the instructors. But Yukio tried to nibble here and there in order to develop an acute sense of taste, but was caught in the act many many times. When Yukio completed his training at the Institute, however, his excellence and enthusiasm were recognized. Yukio received a letter of recommendation from the Institute to work at a place called Kagairo. Kagairo is a very traditional Japanese restaurant and a position there was highly desirable, probably one of the most difficult posts to land in the Japanese restaurant industry. After washing dishes for half a year, Yukio was quickly promoted to a job in the grill section. Three years passed at Kagairo. One day, Yukio stopped by at the Tsuji Culinary Institute for a visit. One of his former instructors was very proud of Yukio’s accomplishments at Kagairo and invited him back to the Institute as an instructor. Always inquisitive and hard working, Yukio readily accepted this offer and became an instructor.

It must have felt a little awkward to go back as an instructor at the school where he had recently been a student. Yukio was assigned to oversee the supplies and teach several classes. In addition to flavoring and presentation, Yukio taught a wide range of subjects such as techniques for sharpening knives, slicing and cutting vegetables, etc. On a day to day basis, Yukio had the chance to get acquainted with other culinary masters who were experts in Chinese, Japanese, French, and Italian cuisine as well as dessert chefs.
 

It was a very inspirational environment for the ambitious Yukio. Tasting instructors’ creations, as has been mentioned earlier, was prohibited for the students. But as an instructor, Yukio had the privilege of tasting other instructors’ creations with their permission. Being keenly aware of the importance of networking, Yukio often went out with the other expert chefs often. Then another opportunity knocked. Yamato, a kaiseki restaurant (unfortunately closed now) at the Century Hotel in Los Angeles, invited Yukio to join their team. Yukio decided to grab the chance because he thought the overall food culture in America was more advanced than that of Japan.

Yamato was a restaurant which always attracted a lot of famous people from Japan and the Executive Chef was a prime position. By this time Yukio was a veteran chef of such standing that he could act with a clear view of his surroundings. Back then, there were not so many chefs who could prepare kaiseki-ryori (which consists of light tea ceremony dishes) in the United States. Yukio’s expertise, therefore, made him a more important asset to Yamato than other chefs. After a while, Yukio took a leave of absence from Yamato and went to work for the restaurant in the Hilton London Kensington Hotel managed by Masako Oya, a Japanese singer. Later on Yukio worked under Chef Sato, a top-level French chef, at the Amada Club in Buena Park. The Amada Club is a membership buffet restaurant. This broadened Yukio’s horizons even further and allowed him to obtain deeper knowledge of French cuisine and its details.
 
“I’m so glad that I came to this country. If I had stayed in Japan, I would have remained a yes-man to my superiors. And that could have meant negating all my possibilities of professional growth,” Chef Yukio says. Being a true professional, Chef Yukio always uses the very best of everything: The choicest bonito, miso, and even earthenware. It is Chef Yukio’s rule to stay away from dinnerware made of unnatural materials. Appealing presentations using traditional earthenware are his style. Also he never uses the same kelp pieces twice when creating broths.

This is because Chef Yukio believes the first impression is all-important. His special teriyaki sauce is based on a recipe from Monkogen, which is Chef Yukio’s favorite yakitori restaurant in Amagasaki, Hyogo prefecture.

Chef Yukio is ever eager to learn. “I always try to create food that women love, because women are usually in charge of the kitchen at home,” Chef Yukio says. This is why Chef Yukio has been a regular reader of “Fujingaho” (a major Japanese women’s magazine) for 15 years. The articles in “Fujingaho” on clothes, fashion and architecture are also educational for Chef Yukio. Regarding high levels of service, Chef Yukio frequents luxury hotels, particularly the Ritz-Carlton, in order to see how he can improve Kappo’s performance.

Kappo Seafood provides an elegant and sophisticated atmosphere where patrons feel comfortable and truly relax. Experts like Chef Yukio are standing by to assist you. You cannot help feeling exited with the promise of tasting the delicious results of what Chef Yukio has learned over the years.