Famous Fort Worth chef will host one night pop-up dinner in Tokyo, Japan

A well-known Cowtown chef is packing up his knives and taking his Japanese cooking skills to the motherland for a one-night pop-up dinner.

Kevin Martinez, the top chef at Fort Worth’s Tokyo Cafe, tells EscapeHatch that he’s headed to Tokyo, Japan next month to cook a Japanese dinner at for Japanese customers. The September 8 dinner at Uenormaru restaurant will feature octopus takoyaki, a popular Japanese savory dish that’s similar to a fried dough fritter but filled with pieces of chopped octopus.

Martinez says Uenormaru chef Kazuaki Yohida’s specialty is takoyaki; the Tokyo chef taught Martinez the tricky cooking technique on Martinez’s last visit to Tokyo. Now he’s invited the Fort Worth chef back to demonstrate his newfound skills.

“I’m just very humbled that he would allow me to even play in his kitchen again,” Martinez says. “I’ll be (shopping) in the market the days before” the pop-up, picking up fresh fish at the Tsukiji fish market and produce all over town to create the rest of the pop-up menu.

And Martinez isn’t heading to Tokyo without a cheering section. He says Fort Worth chefs Juan Rodriguez (Magdalena’s) and Denise Shavandy (The Modern) will be joining Martinez on the journey.

“I’m just a kid born in Denton who loves Fort Worth, and I get to cook again in Tokyo,” Martinez said.

photos: Kevin Martinez FB