Chef
Masazumi Saio
- Discipline
- Chef
- Venue
- Uroko · Restaurant
Made By record
Awards & recognition
1 total
verified records
Portrait of Masazumi Saio
i. Biography
Masazumi Saio’s work in Austin is defined by length of service and continuity of craft: a sixteen-year run as chef at Uchi set the terms for the ownership roles that followed. Since 2019, Saio has carried that experience into Uroko and TONARI by Uroko in the Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area.
The Climb
The kitchen discipline associated with Masazumi Saio was formed over more than a decade and a half at Uchi in Austin, TX (2003–2019), a long, single-post apprenticeship in public view. That span matters less as biography than as evidence of repetition, consistency, and an earned operating language inside one of the city’s influential kitchens. The current work is split between two closely linked businesses: Uroko, where Masazumi Saio has served as chef/owner since 2019, and TONARI by Uroko, where he is owner/chef. The throughline is not reinvention but extension—using the same accumulated standards across two Austin rooms.
Today
Since 2019, Masazumi Saio has been Chef/Owner of Uroko in Austin. He also serves as Owner/Chef of TONARI by Uroko in Austin, Texas.
Career - Chef/Owner — Uroko, Austin, TX (2019–present) - Owner/Chef — TONARI by Uroko, Austin, TX - chef — Uchi, Austin, TX (2003–2019)
Recognition
The clearest marker attached to Masazumi Saio is duration: the move from chef at Uchi across 2003–2019 into two current owner-chef roles. In trade terms, the recognition is built into the record itself—a long tenure, then ownership.
FAQ What is Masazumi Saio's current role? As of 2026, Masazumi Saio is Chef/Owner. Where did Masazumi Saio work before? Masazumi Saio's earlier career included Uchi.
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