Mari Takahashi

Teaches at Nombe

I am from Yokohama, Japan, and worked at multi-billion-dollar bio-tech and high-tech companies. I traveled all over the world before switching my career. Before I moved to SF, I didn't realize how many Americans don't know real Japanese food, including its history, why we cook and eat the way we do. I decided to provide the information in the best way I could: by teaching how to cook. In 2004, I moved on to open my catering company, specializing in Japanese and California cuisines to satisfy the needs for an on-site Sushi chef catering. I also opened the first izakaya in San Francisco, Sozai Restaurant and Sake Lounge. Sozai was voted Best Japanese Food San Francisco by Citysearch in 2008. In 2009, I opened Nombe and served as the Managing Culinary Director - it received Top 100 honors from the SF Chronicle, a Michelin Recommended acknowledgement, an SF Bay Guardian Best of the Bay Editor's Pick, and was named one of the Top 6 Izakaya (Japanese gastropub) restaurants in the US by Bon Appetit. In 2013, I introduced Ramenburger, which created an enormous buzz. I have been teaching how to make sushi ever since I started my catering company in 2004. I have been making Ramen since I opened restaurant and teaching how to make it since January 2015. It has been a very popular class as Ramen is getting to be known by a lot of people. Currently, I am concentrating on teaching how to cook Japanese food including sushi, ramen, ramenburger, and izakaya bites.