Noriyuki (Nori) Sugie
Executive Chef
Growing up in Ibaraki, Japan, he loved British and American Music. In order to support his passion of music, he took a restaurant job at the age of 15. The rest is a history. With both a formal Japanese and French culinary degree, Sugie has been cooking for more than 20 years in some of the world’s top restaurants including France’s Michelin starred L’Aubergade, Sydney’s Restaurant VII, Chicago’s Charlie Trotter’s, and New York’s Asiate. Sugie has also traveled the globe participating in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s Guest Chef Program cooking at several of their properties.
He loves to use his Japanese and French cooking technique and deep knowledge of Japanese and California ingredients to enlight human senses from ordinary food to high-end Kaiseki style cuisine.
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Mari TakahashiPartner
Mari, who grew up in Yokohama, Japan, worked for several multi-billion-dollar American bio-tech and high-tech companies traveling all over the world before changing her career. She moved on to open her catering company, Mari’s Catering, Inc., which is specialized in Japanese and California cuisine in 2004 to satisfy the needs of on-site Sushi chef catering. With Gil, Mari opened Sozai Restaurant and Sake Lounge, voted Best Japanese Food San Francisco by Citysearch in 2008.
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Gil Payne, Sake Sommelier & Partner
Gil’s appreciation for Japanese culture began when he attended college in Tokyo. He subsequently lived in Japan for three years and served as an editor and translator for the World Times of Japan. His deep knowledge of all things Japanese places his sake expertise into a larger context. It enables him not only to enlighten diners as to which sake may go best with their meal, but also to inform them on the greater cultural implications and ceremony that accompany the art of sake drinking.
For a wider view of Gil’s opinions on sake, sake culture and food pairing, download Gil’s Sake Outlook publication, and follow Gil’s blog on his sake-related travels and tales, The Hippy Dippy SF Sakeman.
