Chef Andy Matsuda

Chef Andy Matsuda was born near Kobe, Japan in 1956. When he was 9 years old, his family started a small Japanese restaurant where he learned the joy of cooking. After graduating from high school, he began to work as an apprentice at ‘Genpachi’, one of the most famous restaurants in Osaka, he worked there for 5 years. He also became a member of a Sushi Chef Organization called ‘Yosei-kai’. At the age of 23, he returned to his hometown to help expand the family business. A couple of years later at the age of 25, his new challenge in life was to move to Los Angeles, California.

His first job was in Little Tokyo as an assistant, but within a week he was promoted to Chief Sushi Chef.
Since then, Chef Matsuda has worked at fine Sushi Bars in Santa Monica, Aspen, New York, and has had the opportunity to work for major hotels where he learned other ethnic cuisines such as French, Italian, Thai, among others.

At the age of 36, Chef Matsuda faced the biggest challenge of his life; he was diagnosed with Colon Cancer and began the battle for his life. Going through 4 years of intensive treatments and self reflection, he began to understand the relationship between food and health, people and environment.

Overcoming Cancer, he was full of appreciation and wanted to somehow pay back his dept of gratitude to American Society. This is his gift to America.

In 2002, he started a Sushi chef training school in downtown, Los Angeles, the “Sushi Chef Institute”. He teaches beginners and professional chefs from all over the world since then.

Chef Andy has instructed Japanese Cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena.