Chef
Keiji Nakazawa
Chef, Sushi Sho
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Tomball, Texas, United States
Known for
- Mastery of Edo-period sushi techniques including fish aging and marinating
- Training influential protégés who opened successful Sushi Sho-named restaurants
- Use of specialized rice varieties and warmer rice service
- Appearance on Iron Chef Japan
i. Biography
Edomae-style Sushi Sho in New York City is being carried through a New York omakase shaped by history, ingredients, locality and seasonality, with Keiji Nakazawa serving as Head Chef. The practice depends on inherited forms staying legible while the counter responds to the season and the city in front of it.
The Climb
Edomae-style counter work is built on small margins: rice, fish, temperature, timing and restraint have to meet cleanly in the hand and at the seat. Early work as chef at Sushi Sho in Yotsuya, Tokyo, gave Keiji Nakazawa that operating language, where control is measured less by display than by the accuracy of each bite. The Sushi Sho lineage prizes attention over excess, and that background continues to define the New York work. Its refinement is practical: knowing when to intervene, when to hold back, and how to let a sequence develop without crowding the ingredient or the guest. A New York expression of Sushi Sho has required continuity rather than reinvention. Since 2024, Keiji has served as chef of Sushi Sho, bringing the composure and precision associated with his earlier work into a setting governed by local ingredients and seasonality.
Today
Omakase sushi, shaped around Edomae-style sushi, is the working format. Its success depends on trust, order and progression: each piece belongs to a larger arc, with flavor, texture and temperature moving in sequence rather than standing as isolated gestures. History, ingredients, locality and seasonality are the counter’s organizing pressures. History supplies the discipline; ingredients set the immediate terms. Locality and seasonality keep the meal tied to New York while maintaining a clear relationship to Edomae-style sushi. The counter practice is intimate by design, but its scope is broad: inherited technique is kept visible, and each serving is adjusted to the present conditions of the meal. In Keiji’s hands, focus is the main tool.
Signature
Ankimo with three-year-pickled watermelon is one named signature in Keiji's work. The composition sets richness against brightness, with the patience of pickling brought into the immediacy of omakase service. Its effect depends on contrast held in balance rather than volume.
Recognition
Michelin Guide recognition for Sushi Sho includes Michelin Guide — 3 stars for Sushi Sho (2025) and Michelin Guide — 2 stars for Sushi Sho (2024). The awards mark outside attention on a New York omakase practice rooted in Edomae-style sushi and organized around history, ingredients, locality and seasonality.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Keiji
What is Keiji Nakazawa's current role?
Keiji Nakazawa is Head Chef.
Where did Keiji Nakazawa work before?
Earlier in their career, Keiji Nakazawa worked at Sushi Sho.
What recognition has Keiji Nakazawa received?
Michelin Guide — 3 stars for Sushi Sho (2025).
