Hiroshi Kawahito

Chef Hiroshi Kawahito recently arrived from Mexico City, to help develop the menu for the Izakaya Sake Bar. The chef previously hosted Chef’s Table events at Casita & Garden and is excited to help develop the menu for this new experience in Puerto Vallarta.

Born in Tokyo, and raised in Los Angeles, Chef Hiroshi returned to Japan after studying music, philosophy, and architecture. Following the advice of his mother to get a job in a restaurant, “so you don’t starve”, Hiroshi began as a dishwasher. Within 5 years, after doing almost every job in a restaurant, he started cooking. Fast forward six years and Hiroshi soon found himself in the position of Hana-Ita, the top position at a sushi bar. Hiroshi had found his career, a chef.

Chef Hiroshi returned to LA to explore the Japanese cooking culture in the United States. He quickly rose to Hana-Ita at the restaurants he worked at. Understanding the eating culture of the US was different, Chef Hiroshi began to experiment with Japanese food using regional ingredients.

Through a contact, Chef Hiroshi was an invited chef at Maximo Bistrot in Mexico City. Maximo Bistrot, a well-known restaurant in Mexico City, allowed Chef Hiroshi to meet other chefs and visit some of the city’s top restaurants. After some research and exploration, and the excitement of cooking Japanese food in Mexico, Chef Hiroshi opened Rokai, an Omakase-style restaurant based on the concept of Chef’s Choice where the menu, products used, flavors, and cooking techniques were different every day.

Rokai was a big success. And so, what started as an invitation to be a guest chef in Mexico City, turned out to be the next chapter in Chef Hiroshi’s career, as a Japanese Chef in Mexico.

Over the last 10 years, Chef Hiroshi has partnered in other restaurant ventures, and participated in various chef events around the world, including judging a cooking competition for up-and-coming chefs. In Mexico City, Chef Hiroshi currently has two restaurants, Koya and Santo, and does private events as well.

Casita & Garden is excited to have Chef Hiroshi develop the menu for the Izakaya Sake Bar and partner with sommelier, Rafael Martinez. With tourism continuing to grow rapidly in Puerto Vallarta, Chef Hiroshi, and Rafael believe the sake bar will provide tourists with a new and different experience, offering a bit of Japanese culture along with some of the best sake and food Mexico has to offer.

Chef Hioshi said, “As I did in Los Angeles and Mexico City when I first arrived in those cities, I’m interested in exploring local ingredients and markets to bring together the best of the Japanese and Mexican cultures to create an experience Puerto Vallarta visitors won’t forget.”