Chef Kiichi Okabe firmly believes in the Japanese philosophy of Omotenashi, which means to wholeheartedly look after one’s guests. He believes that food made with happiness improves guests’ wellbeing and fills them with good energy.
Having started his culinary career at 18 years old back home in Tokyo, Chef Kiichi developed a passion for food on a global scale. His dishes are inspired by his international training and passion for Japanese delicacies. He then moved to Los Angeles to work in a three Michelin-starred French restaurant before moving to Las Vegas to work at Sushi Rokum, where he was the Executive Head Sushi Chef. He then went on to Dubai as the Head Chef at Okku, which was named the ‘Best Japanese Restaurant in Dubai’ for three years running. After, he moved back to the United States to work at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino as Kuro’s Executive Sushi Chef. Shortly after, he became the Executive Chef of Shoukouwa, a two-starred Japanese restaurant in Singapore. In 2018, he opened his own restaurant, Sushi Ryu, in Kuala Lumpur. He then took a role as Grand Masterchef at Soneva Jani, which is in the Maldives.
