Other
Nobu Matsuhisa
Restaurateur
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Sushi apprenticeship is learned first by watching: hand position, repetition, correction, and the small economy of movement that does not show up in recipes. Nobu Matsuhisa has described copying his mentor’s motions “under the table,” practising with his fingers while he observed the work at the counter.
Coming Up
The Tokyo sushi-house apprenticeship model gave the early structure to the craft: long repetition, close observation, and deference to the bench before authorship. Nobu Matsuhisa entered that system in 1967 at Matsuei-sushi in Tokyo and trained there for seven years, from 1967 to 1974. Restaurant authorship came later through a defined point of view rather than a break from training. With Matsuhisa, opened in Beverly Hills in 1987, Nobu Matsuhisa put Japanese technique into contact with Peruvian flavors, establishing the working vocabulary that would follow him into the 1994 opening of Nobu in New York.
Current Practice
Japanese-Peruvian cooking remains the central register of the work: disciplined sushi training, recognizable Japanese technique, and a set of Peruvian inflections applied to luxury dining without abandoning the counter-trained foundation. Nobu Matsuhisa continues that practice as chef and owner of Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills and as chef/restaurateur at Nobu.
Signature
Signature venues: yellowtail with Jalapeno, tiradito, and Black Cod Miso.
Recognition
Trade recognition has tracked both the restaurant openings and the influence of the cooking. Nobu Matsuhisa was named Food & Wine Best New Chef in 1989, received the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 1995, and received the James Beard Award for Who's Who in Food & Beverage in America in 2002. The lasting craft claim is not novelty for its own sake, but a consistent restaurant language: sushi-house training, Japanese technique, Peruvian flavor, and a service format scaled from Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills to Nobu in New York.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Nobu
What does Nobu Matsuhisa do now?
Nobu Matsuhisa is founder of Nobu and Matsuhisa.
Where did Nobu Matsuhisa train or study?
Nobu Matsuhisa trained at Matsuei-sushi.
What recognition has Nobu Matsuhisa received?
James Beard Award for Who's Who in Food & Beverage in America (2002).
