Chef Katsuji Tanabe – the celebrated chef who captured television audiences when he starred on Bravo TV’s hit competition series Top Chef Boston, Top Chef Mexico and Top Chef Charleston, and whose restaurants have stretched from Los Angeles and Las Vegas, to Chicago and New York City – announces his recent move to Raleigh, NC and plans for a Raleigh restaurant. “This will be a ‘Top Chef’ inspired restaurant with rustic, wood-fired cooking; we’ll work with what’s at-hand locally to express our creativity in our own unique way,” explained Tanabe, who brings over 20 years of experience as a chef and competitor, nationally recognized for his signature playful style and wildly unique combination of Mexican, Japanese and American flavors.
“The South has such a rich food culture and history; I really fell in love with it during Top Chef Charleston,” explained Tanabe. “I’ve wanted to find a home in the South where I can provide the best possible life for my family, and do what I love in a place that really cares about their food culture. I’ve always been after the ‘American Dream,’ and right now that means making our home here in Raleigh and creating a destination for the kind of ‘fun dining’ I love to create.”
Stay tuned for details of Katsuji Tanabe’s Raleigh restaurant, opening in late 2019 – located at 208 Wolfe Street – which promises to be a significant contribution to the revitalization of historic City Market and the Moore Square area of downtown Raleigh, and to North Carolina’s thriving food culture.
And Tanabe added, “I didn’t move to here to open just one restaurant.”
About Katsuji Tanabe
Chef Katsuji Tanabe – born and raised in a Jewish neighborhood in Mexico City to parents of both Mexican and Japanese heritage – captured the hearts of Americans at his restaurants across the US and through his appearances on national television as he realized the “American Dream.” Now the Chef of Barrio in Chicago and Hussong’s Cantina at Mandaly Bay in Las Vegas, and a forthcoming Raleigh, NC restaurant, Tanabe first made a name for himself in 2011 in Los Angeles, CA as the owner and chef of Mexikosher, the first authentic kosher, Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, and the first of its kind in the United States. In 2016, he charmed audiences on Bravo’s Top Chef Boston, followed by Top Chef Mexico and Top Chef Charleston. Prior, Tanabe appeared on The Travel Channel’s Chow Masters, had a winning appearance on Food Network’s Chopped, was a professional chef contender on NBC’s Food Fighters as well as a judge on Master Chef Mexico. Tanabe is committed to being a voice for immigrants in the food and beverage industry, supports CORE (Children of Restaurant Employees) and the James Beard Foundation’s “No Waste” initiative. From restaurants and events to national television, Katsuji Tanabe continues to deliver his flavorful and flamboyant style to diners and fans across the US.
Follow Chef Katsuji Tanabe @KatsujiTanabe.
