Katsuya Uechi, the chef who founded the Katsuya restaurant brand and transformed Los Angeles’ sushi scene by introducing the now-ubiquitous spicy tuna crispy rice, has died at 67.
The Sbe restaurant group, which owns his restaurant brand, shared the news in an Instagram post, along with images of the legendary sushi driver. They did not disclose his cause of death.
“Master Sushi Chef. Creator of the iconic Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice. The visionary behind our namesake flagship restaurant. Katsu-San helped shape the Los Angeles sushi landscape and beyond, making Katsuya a household name,” the restaurant wrote in its caption…