i. Biography
Aki Tanaka has been co-chef of Sato i Tanaka in Barcelona since 2017, a role built on precision at the counter and the patience to let service set the tempo. The work favors control over display: each course is placed with intention, each detail handled so the meal reads cleanly from first pass to last.
The Path
Since 2017, Aki Tanaka has been co-chef of Sato i Tanaka, and the position has been defined by collaboration as much as command. At the center of that work is a shared discipline: timing, restraint, and trust between kitchen and counter. The measure of the role is not volume, but composure — the ability to guide a room through a sequence of tastes without rushing the pace or breaking the line of service.
The Work Today
Since 2017, he has served as co-chef at Sato i Tanaka. The format is omakase, which places the evening in the chef’s hands and lets the meal unfold in calibrated steps rather than a fixed order. Courses are chosen and paced by the chef, and nigiri is pressed in front of guests, keeping the work of the hand visible at the point of service. The cuisine is grounded in the Edomae register, with the emphasis on clarity and exactness. Rice temperature matters. Knife work matters. Product matters. Ornament stays out of the way so each piece can carry its own weight, with technique and ingredient quality doing the work. At Sato i Tanaka, the counter is part of the service structure: the meal is paced, revealed, and refined in real time.
Acclaim
Recognition for his cooking sits with that counter discipline: omakase sushi and Edomae-style sushi in Barcelona, presented through a restrained sequence rather than a fixed à la carte setup. What is notable is not excess, but control — the flow of the meal, the discipline of the kitchen, and the confidence to let each course arrive on its own terms.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Aki
What is Aki Tanaka's current role?
As of 2026, Aki Tanaka is Co-chef.
What is Aki Tanaka known for?
Omakase sushi and Edomae-style sushi.
