Azay is the homecoming of Chef Akira as he explores the intersection of history, cuisine, and community in the former space of Anzen Hardware, Little Tokyo, previously owned and operated by Jo Ann’s father, Tsutomu Maehara (currently Nori Takatani).

Born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, Akira trained in the French countryside of Azay-le-Rideau and Paris, having worked at Maxim’s de Paris and the hotel Nikko under Joël Robuchon. After being recruited to work at the esteemed L’Orangerie in Los Angeles, he and his wife opened a French restaurant in Kyoto, Japan then Pasadena, California, which closed in March 2019 after celebrating 20 years as Maison Akira.

The new menu at Azay will celebrate his experiences professionally in the kitchens, gardens, and communities of the culinary world as well as the personal relationships he made along the way.