Jesse Ito is the Co-owner and chef of Royal Izakaya and Royal Sushi, a 2-in-one restaurant combo in Queen Village. Jesse’s claim to fame is his exclusive 10-seat omakase sushi bar, which is one of the very few restaurant experiences in Philly to get a 4-bell rating from the Inquirer. In 2017, Jesse was honored by Eater as a Young Guns Award Winner and made Zagat's 30 Under 30 list.In this episode you’ll hear how Jesse got his start as a sushi chef working at Fuji, his father’s restaurant in south Jersey. When he was 24, Jesse and his family would sell Fuji and go all-in on bringing the omakase and izakaya experience to Philly. That bet would pay off, as 3 years later they’ve received the covered Philly Inquirer restaurant rating of 4 bells.Instagram: @jesseito, @royal_izakayaroyalizakaya.comSupport for Philly Who? comes from Boku Supper Club, an art gallery that has dinner parties featuring complimentary meals from up and coming Philly chefs. The next Boku is sold out, but follow @stayboku on Instagram and head to stayboku.com to join the next available exclusive dinner and art experience.Philly Who? is a Cue9 Production with special thanks to Lawrence Choi and Laura McLafferty, editing by Max Graham, music by Lee Rosevere, and artwork by Lauren Carhart. Hosted & Produced by Kevin Chemidlin.
