[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 211 (Tuesday, December 7, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8958-S8959]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING YOSHI'S CAFE

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, a famous chef once said that ``a plate of 
food was a plate of hope.'' At Yoshi's Cafe in Chicago, the meals were 
that--and so much more. Every meal--every bite--at Yoshi's was a 
celebration and a discovery of new tastes and new combinations of 
tastes.
  When Yoshi's Cafe opened 39 years ago, it was on the vanguard of 
``fusion cuisine,'' cooking that combines the best of different 
cultures. In Yoshi's case, it was an exquisite mix of classical French 
and Japanese cooking traditions. Over the years, Yoshi's also 
incorporated bits of cuisines, such as hint of Mexican cooking, into 
their dishes. But the true signature ingredients of any meal at Yoshi's 
Cafe were pride and love.
  Every meal was a chance for founder Yoshi Katsumura to share his 
impeccable culinary skill and imagination. And every customer was 
treated like a friend. If you went often enough, as my wife Loretta and 
I have, you became part of the family. That combination of personal 
warmth and impeccable food has made Yoshi's Cafe one of Chicago's truly 
great neighborhood restaurants.
  This weekend, Yoshi's Cafe will serve its last meal--and Loretta and 
I plan to be there. We wouldn't miss the chance to eat one last time at 
one of our favorite restaurants.
  Chicagoans feared this day might come sooner. When founder Yoshi 
Katsumura died in 2015, we wondered if that might be the end of Yoshi's 
Cafe as well. But Yoshi asked his wife Nobuko to try to preserve his 
legacy and the business they had built together. And she did.
  With the help of her son, chef Ken Katsumura, Nobuko kept Yoshi's 
Cafe open, even through a lethal pandemic that devastated the 
restaurant industry. Her daughter, Mari, has made a name for herself as 
a top-ranked pastry chef in Chicago.
  After some soul-searching, however, Nobuko has decided that it's time 
for a new chapter--time to spend a little more time with her 
grandchildren and enjoying life.
  Like countless other Chicagoans, Loretta and I feel a touch of 
sadness about the closing of Yoshi's Cafe. But we also feel 
tremendously grateful for the memorable meals we have enjoyed there and 
for the gift of Yoshi and Nobuko's friendship over the years.
  I once showed up at the restaurant on a Monday evening, forgetting 
that it was closed. I stood for a moment on the sidewalk of North 
Halsted Street, stranded and hungry, trying to decide where to eat. 
Just as I was about to leave, I heard someone call my name.
  It was Yoshi, who lived above the restaurant, calling down to me and 
offering to fix me a meal on his day off. That was the moment I came to 
see the goodness of this man. And Nobuko is just as kind and giving.
  Yoshi's Cafe brought together the foods of Tokyo, Paris, Lyon, and 
Chicago. Yoshi was born in Japan. At the age of 20, he apprenticed 
under another legendary chef, Hiroyuki Sakai in Tokyo, where he first 
learned the intricacies of fine French cooking.
  In 1973, he moved to Chicago, where he studied under one of Chicago' 
first

[[Page S8959]]

celebrity chefs, Jean Banchet, at Le Francais. Further study in Paris 
and Lyon added to his skills. He returned to Chicago as chef and 
partner in the city's premier French fusion restaurant, Jimmy's Place.
  In 1982, he and Nobuko opened their own place. For nearly 40 years, 
Yoshi's has earned the love and loyalty of generation of Chicagoans. It 
has been featured on the Food Network and listed among ``America's Top 
Tables'' by the Conde Nast Gourmet magazine.
  I want to thank Nobuko Katsumura and her gracious and loyal staff for 
the great gift Yoshi's has been to Chicago.
  Loretta and I will miss our friends at Yoshi's and the incredible 
meals we enjoyed there. We will treasure our memories of this Chicago 
icon and the great family that created it for years to come.

                          ____________________