Ritsuo Tsuchida

Ritsuo Tsuchida

Executive Chef/Managing Partner of Blowfish Sushi To Die For, Ritsuo Tsuchida was born into a family of chefs and restaurateurs in Japan, a family that takes great pride in being in the restaurant business in Tokyo for several generations. The Japanese food culture is very strict, utilizing the same methods for hundreds of years where variety is not the spice of life. Ritsuo wished to no longer rely solely on his native flavors, seeking a far more extensive pantry and audience to draw from.

He received his Chef’s license from the Office of the Mayor in Tokyo, Japan in 1992, and came to the United States in 1994 to work in the Bay Area’s highly regarded restaurant scene. Quickly adapting to the local culture, he set out to realize his vision for an exciting restaurant that combines the best of Eastern and Western cuisine and culture, believing that variety is the spice of life.

In 1996, Ritsuo opened (what would become the first of three) Blowfish Sushi To Die For in San Francisco. Ritsuo innovatively merges traditional Asian ingredients with exciting flavors and spices from Western cultures, producing a mélange of tastes and redefining the borders of Japanese food. He is the Executive Chef of all three Blowfish outposts in California: San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles.