Originally from Hokkaido, Japan, Chef/ Owner Masashi Ito grew up encompassed by fresh local seafood at his Grandfather’s sushi restaurant. Masa was inspired by his Grandfather’s passion to make every meal special using fish in “shun”, which in Japanese, is the idea of enjoying seasonal food at its peak flavor. Masa’s culinary education consisted of first hand experience; cooking inside kitchens around Orange County, CA then becoming a sushi chef at the age of 19. With Masa’s passion and dedication, he was headhunted to become the Chef for Sushi Zo Downtown Los Angeles in 2012 where his inventive interpretation on traditional sushi highlights seasonal fish from Japan in the form of omakase. Masa made the move to NYC as the Chef for Sushi Zo’s third location in 2016 and ended up falling in love with the city. He quickly gained popularity and received the honor of a Michelin Star during his first year. Ito is Masa’s dream since childhood coming true as he always wanted to open his own restaurant.