Shota Nakajima is a Japanese-American chef best known for competing on the eighteenth
season of Top Chef in
Portland, Oregon.
Early life and education
Nakajima was born in
Japan, and raised in
Seattle, Washington.[1] At 18, he moved to
Osaka to attend the
Tsuji Culinary Arts School [
ja].[2] There, he apprenticed with chef Yasuhiko Sakamoto.[3] He later returned to Seattle and worked for chef Taichi Kitamura at Sushi Kappo Tamura from 2011–2012.[2]
In 2014, Nakajima opened a catering business, Kappo Kitchen and later Naka, a
kaiseki restaurant, in June 2015.[2] In February 2017, Naka Kaiseki rebranded as Adana.[2] In March 2020, Nakajima opened his restaurant
Taku, an Osakan
kushikatsu concept, in the
Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.[12] Adana and Taku closed during the
COVID-19 pandemic, but Taku reopened in May 2021 as a
karaage restaurant.[13]
In late 2021, Nakajima began bottling his own teriyaki sauce, known as Make Umami, and selling it at Taku,
Uwajimaya grocery stores, and on
Amazon.[14] In February 2022, Nakajima announced he was opening a
teriyaki restaurant, Banzai Teriyaki, in
Cle Elum, Washington.[15] On June 23, 2022 Nakajima said he was no longer part of the Cle Elum project.[16]
Awards and accolades
James Beard Foundation, Semifinalist, Rising Star Chef of the Year (2018)[17]