Meet Fuji-san, the Jinbeh Chef Who Watched DFW Learn Sushi

Long before specialty rolls became a familiar part of dining in North Texas, Fuji-san was learning to make food the traditional way: with patience, discipline, and respect for the ingredient. He has been part of Jinbeh since 1993, and his quiet craft is the standard behind everything that leaves the sushi bar.

A Chef Who Watched DFW Learn Sushi

When Fuji-san joined Jinbeh in 1993, the original Las Colinas restaurant was serving a large Japanese business community, and the local sushi scene was small. The early roll list was simple. California rolls, cucumber rolls, tuna rolls, and yellowtail rolls did most of the work. Then diners grew curious. They tried something new, told friends, and came back. Fuji-san watched sushi move from a big-city specialty into the everyday food culture of Dallas and Fort Worth.

Trained Far Beyond the Sushi Bar

His training was never limited to a sushi counter. In Japan he prepared tempura. In the United States he learned hibachi. At Las Colinas he also took responsibility for traditional Japanese menus and formal dinners that could take several days to prepare. That breadth, not a single signature dish, is the real source of his authority in the kitchen.

Craft Before Spectacle

Ask Fuji-san what he likes to prepare and he talks about sashimi, steamed fish, and clean flavor. “It is just steamed and a little bit of taste, so that you can taste the fish,” he says. His favorite dishes use light seasoning so the guest can still taste the fish itself. It is the quiet side of Japanese cooking, and at Jinbeh it lives just steps from the hibachi flames.

The First Jinbeh Signature

Fuji-san is candid that the elaborate, crunchy, cooked rolls Texas loves were largely developed by other talented chefs. His own signature came early. “The first one we created was the Jinbeh Special Roll,” he recalls, a bridge between classic sushi and the more elaborate American roll culture that followed. You can still order it at our sushi and rolls menu in Frisco and Lewisville.

A Menu That Changed With the Market

For reserved traditional dinners, Fuji-san built the menu around what was best that day. “Every time we got a reservation, I make a new menu. Each time different,” he says. He visited the fish market, chose seasonal vegetables, and used special ingredients when they made sense for the guest. The goal was never the longest menu. It was the right menu for that evening, the same instinct that still guides our sashimi today.

The Chef Who Came Back

Fuji-san once left Jinbeh for another opportunity. About ten months later, he returned. He knew the people, they understood how he liked to work, and the restaurant felt comfortable in a way the other place did not. “I had fun working here,” he says simply. More than three decades after he started, that may be the clearest version of the Jinbeh story: serious craft, shared work, and a table people choose to return to.

You will feel that standard whether you come for the hibachi show or settle in at the sushi bar. Learn more about our family-owned story since 1988, explore Jinbeh Frisco and Jinbeh Lewisville, or reserve your table and taste the difference for yourself.