Michigan chef who won James Beard Award closes sushi restaurant
A Michigan chef and restaurant owner who won a 2024 James Beard Award announced that his business is closing.
Chef Hajime Sato, who owned Sozai in Clawson, announced the closure on social media Sunday, saying, "It is clear that the best thing for my family is for us to return to the Pacific Northwest."
"It will be extremely difficult to leave Sozai behind. I put everything I had into building something special for my customers and to further my work as a sustainable seafood advocate," Sato said in the statement. "Thank you to everyone who has shared wonderful times with me at Sozai. I will cherish those memories. My sincerest hope is that you will continue to try new things."
In 2024, Sato won the Best Chef: Great Lakes award, making him the first sushi chef to win a regional Best Chef award. He competed against other chefs from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.
Sato first opened a restaurant in Seattle 30 years ago, but opened Sozai in 2019 after he and his wife relocated to Metro Detroit so his wife could receive cancer treatment. During his acceptance speech, Sato admitted he didn't know much about the James Beard Awards until a few years ago.
When his wife called to tell him he had been nominated, he said, "Ah, that's for the fancy chefs, you know. I'm not it."
"I'm one of those guys. Can I make the sushi rice a little better today than yesterday? Can I make an impact on one person's life when I serve sushi? That's who I am," Sato said.
