Recognizing Yoshi's Cafe

Floor Speech

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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 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.

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