Oui Chef! Kuniko Yagi

Introducing our Oui Chef! Series, where we go back of house and get to know the incredible chefs at the Collective. This week, we talked to Pikunico Chef-Owner Kuniko Yagi about her love of cooking and her path to success and entrepreneurship in the world of LA dining.

Born and raised in Japan, Chef Kuniko Yagi followed her Angeleno husband to LA. With a background in banking, she hadn’t intended to come here to work in restaurants; however, when her marriage didn’t work out, Kuniko was all the more determined to find a way to stay in her new home of Los Angeles.

At the time, she didn’t speak any English nor could she drive a car, so she biked around Beverly Boulevard until she found a “Help Wanted” poster in front of a noodle shop. It turned out to be Ubon by Nobu Matsuhisa. After working as a waitress for a little over a year, she knew she wanted to become a chef.  Through her persistence, and by literally knocking on doors, she met David Meyers and started as chef at his restaurant Sona. She worked her way up to Executive Chef at his bistro Comme Ca, and they eventually opened the award winning Hinoki and the Bird together.

Realizing the value of ownership, she set out to launch her own restaurant. The result, her Japanese Fried Chicken concept Pikunco, which opened last year at ROW DTLA to much acclaim. Hers is a story that will give hope and courage to any aspiring chef, entrepreneur, or really anyone with a big dream as Chef Kuniko reflects on her career, overcoming the inherent challenges in the restaurateur world, and pivoting her approach to meet the new normal.

ROW: When you were a banker in Japan, did you always know you’d own your own business one day? Was becoming an entrepreneur always a goal?

KY: Never! I never even dreamed of making my living using knives and pans in a professional kitchen. My life is made up of quite a few curve balls.

ROW: We read that it took you 5 years from the time you decided you wanted to open your own restaurant to the time you met David Lee who ultimately partnered with you on Pikunico.  You definitely hit a lot of roadblocks throughout your career, but you kept knocking down doors when everyone was telling you NO.  Can you tell us how you stayed strong, and kept going after your dream? What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs and chefs?

KY: I kept asking myself, “how would I feel if I gave up to ‘go the easy road’? Would I feel happy? Would I feel full of regrets?”. Well, I knew I could not die with a ton of regrets, that would not be cool. That led me to an important realization: accept the pain and frustration now. Be patient. Now I tell myself to just go through it until I can reach the place I want.

ROW: When you finally got your ‘Yes’, what were some of your biggest fears, and how did you overcome them?

KY: There is one, and only one, way to overcome your fear. Just give it all you got, every minute. You won’t have any room to even feel the fear.

ROW: What has been the most exciting part about opening your own restaurant?

KY: The majority of decision-making can be done by your belief of what’s right for your business. Doesn’t that sound amazing?

ROW: Throughout your career, what felt to you like your first real moment or taste of success?

KY: When I got promoted to be a “junior” sous-chef at Sona.

ROW: In addition to your business partners, what resources did you find helpful in building your brand to where it is today?

KY: Our customers! That includes other ROW tenants and team members, neighbors, and long-time supporters. Also the supportive internal ROW team – they help share our story with the world! They are the marketing birds of us!

ROW: Do you or did you have a mentor?  How important do you feel it is to have one when starting a business?

KY: There’s plenty of information these days. I follow successful people’s podcasts, read their books – all that stuff, all the time. I am always hungry for inspiration and learning through other’s experiences and suggestions.

ROW: Let’s talk Pikunico! What three words would you use to describe Pikunico?

KY: Happy. Friends. Pure.

ROW: We can’t get enough of your Japanese Fried Chicken! Can you tell us more about how you came up with the karaage fried chicken concept for your first restaurant? What is the personal significance to the dishes to you?

KY: My goal was to cook something memorable that would appeal to many people. For me, karaage was my happy, memorable dish. When I was young my grandmother used to take me to a department store every weekend to shop for dinner and let me get whatever I wanted. (My mother would say no to the karaage, though, and tell me to go with the grilled fish!).

ROW: We’re excited to see how you’re re-inventing the picnic genre! Can you tell us about your perfect picnic? What are the key components….

KY: We all need to fulfill our cravings. The mix of protein with bright acidic foods like pickles, plus the comfort of a starchy or sweet food is just so satisfying. With a meal like that, you will be totally relaxed under the blue sky…

ROW: What do you see as the future for fast-casual?

KY: There will be a lot of demand for this type of concept. I do want to be sure that our “fast-casual” concept still carries the “fine-ness” of the quality and the attention to the products – just more accessible to more people. I still love the fine dining restaurants. They have their mission. My mission is to serve the integrity of fine food to the majority of people. As long as we can hold onto our belief, I feel strong about the future of “our” fast casual.

ROW: What have been the unexpected challenges of being a business owner, especially in this time of quarantine?

KY: Whether you are an owner or not, our generation hasn’t dealt with so much unknown, right? I know every one of us has felt the exact same way, more than once during this time. I’ve tried to feel okay with the vulnerability of this situation, and just take every day step by step.

ROW: How are you pivoting your business to cater to this new-normal world?

KY: We were lucky, very lucky to have the outdoor area (it’s super spacious and feels very safe). The concept itself had always been created for “picnic.” We had all the to-go boxes from day one. I wouldn’t say we had that hard of a time shifting for ‘the now’.

ROW: How do you continue to lift up your team and keep them motivated?

KY: I try to talk to my team as often as I can. I share my thoughts and what I’ve learned from reading. The way I interact with my team is similar to how I feel about taking care of our customers: I alway try to be open about who I am. We all want to feel connected. If I can make them feel that they are one team under the Pikunico roof, that is quite a lift and a comfort they can feel. Motivation has to come from within though. I am a motivated person, so I hope my energy can affect them and vise versa.

ROW: What are your hopes for the long-term future of your brand?

KY: It is nice to think about the future, for sure, but I am all about the present. I hope to provide good service to our customers every single day...and that eventually may take us somewhere, but for now, the most important thing is today’s service.

ROW: What do you cook at home?

KY: Omg. I munch nuts and raw vegetables in my kitchen. I cannot call that cooking, can I?

ROW: If you could give one quick piece of advice to an aspiring chef/restaurant owner, what would it be?

KY: Just keep taking an action you can take for today.

Read more about Kuniko’s story in Bon Appétit here, and stay tuned to our IGTV @rowdtla for our Oui Chef! feature including video, recipes and more!