My appointment was set for 11 a.m. Monday morning to meet Yasu Kizaki at Den Deli Seafood and Noodle Bar (http://www.dendeli.net). In typical fashion, my fear of being late had me circling Pearl Street for twenty minutes before I finally parked, took a deep breath, and walked inside. Den Deli was just opening for the day and was filled with employees getting ready for what I later saw was a very busy lunch crowd. My nerves were immediately calmed when I was greeted by Yasu’s wife, Elizabeth Montana. Her warm and welcoming smile served as a lullaby for the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. She walked me to the back seating area, a bit of a quiet refuge perfectly placed behind a brick wall weaved with vast arch window cutouts. There I met Mr. Kizaki and was invited to take a seat across from him at a large dark wooden table with bench seats. Elizabeth had left to order us tea and coffee, then returned and sat next to her husband. Our meeting started out with Yasu interviewing me. I found myself answering questions that seemed to be cleverly pointed to helping not only Yasu figure out who I was, but also served as an opportunity for me to delve deeper into my own truth. I’m almost certain that this is a common practice of Yasu’s; he has a passion to know about others and as later stated by his wife, “an ability to store all of his knowledge about people he meets and later access it, his mental storehouse”.
When it came time for me to ask a few questions of my own, I started with the most obvious - I wanted to learn more about Den Deli. This was my first visit and I was really intrigued by the setup, food, and location. Den Deli Seafood Market and Noodle Bar, Sushi Den, and Izakaya Den are all located right next to one another on South Pearl. Sushi Den has been a fixture in this neighborhood for years now and is known for its high standards and excellent service. A few years back, Izakaya Den was established as way to offer this same set of standards and quality in another form - Asian fusion and tapas. The founders also saw
it as a way to accommodate their loyal customers when Sushi Den was experiencing a large volume of visitors and long waiting times. As keen business people, they also understand that keeping the proximity of their restaurants close allows for better control over each one. Yasu Kizaki, is of course one of the founders of these restaurants. He is the eldest among 4 brothers and the second brother, Toshi, is the head of the organization. Toshi is also the master chef for all of the restaurants. The youngest brother lives a few minutes away from the fish market in Fukuoka, southern Japan, and handpicks the freshest fish and sends them daily to the restaurants. Elizabeth and Yasu also let me know that Toshi is the real visionary and artist behind the three establishments. “Toshi has an ability to predict and understand restaurant trends.” Judging by the success these restaurants have experienced, I would have to agree with them wholeheartedly. I also believe it has a little something to do with Yasu’s comprehensive knowledge of business and marketing. He understands the importance of working with others and opening up doors to every possibility. I can tell by talking with him that part of his success comes from his desire to understand others and help them achieve their dreams.
Den Deli opened its doors a couple months ago and has already seen a real following. They offer people a relaxed yet sophisticated environment, with a large range of food options and ways to enjoy it. You can go to have a casual lunch with friends, simply have coffee and dessert (Toshi’s wife is the pastry chef of all three establishments), or get Sushi Den sushi in to-go packages. And get this; you can buy everything you need to make your own sushi at home. Now that’s visionary thinking at it’s best. The Kizaki’s walked me around Den Deli and it was a real sensory experience. The front cases are set up with colorful food displays that truly make you want to taste it all. The menu includes traditional Japanese noodles, Greek Salads, and Kobe Beef Sliders to name a few. Something about the setup and layout of this restaurant gives you a feeling of robust flavors and choices beyond most.
After our tour of Den Deli we sat down to talk about the various other projects that keep Yasu and Elizabeth busy. Elizabeth owns Dream Italia Tours (www.dreamitalia.com), a company she started seven years ago along with her business partner, Elena Pietrunti (a Florence native). Elizabeth is very passionate about Italy and Dream Italia. It’s obvious when she speaks about it, with big eyes and lots of hand gestures, that this is important to her and her commitment to it is strong. I can tell you that when I travel, I tend to steer clear of any type of organized touring. However, after hearing Elizabeth explain how Dream Italia operates, I would certainly be open to one of her tours. In fact, it seems as though she has found the perfect combination of planning and freedom to explore. Dream Italia Tours have small group sizes (10-15 people) and comfortable and charming upscale accommodations, digging deep into the Italian culture that Elizabeth loves so much. She first fell in love with Italy when she was in film school, living and studying in Florence. Originally, Elizabeth had careers in clothing design and film. Eleven years ago something changed; she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and her life seemed to take on a whole new meaning. She had the opportunity to really look inside and connect with her true passions. One of the many positive things that came out of her struggle was her realization that she wanted to start Dream Italia. Elizabeth is now thriving and her grateful and optimistic personality has only grown stronger, along with her business venture. Coincidently, Yasu also has his hands in a touring company. Undiscovered Japan takes you on tours through the Kanazawa region - the epicenter of Japan’s rich food culture. Learn more about Undiscovered Japan at www.undiscoverdjapan.com.
When the discussion had turned to health, another important part of Yasu and Elizabeth’s daily lives was brought up. They have been taking USANA Health Sciences vitamins since 2008 when Elizabeth went for a yearly check up and had less than desirable results. She wanted to take charge of these issues naturally and was given a year to do so by her doctor. They suggested adding some important vitamins into her diet. When she started doing research on supplements she was shocked to see how many vitamins are out there with varying doses and different suppliers. When she was introduced to USANA she immediately took to the company and was impressed by their high standards, including the fact that they were pharmaceutical grade supplements. Elizabeth noticed a dramatic increase in her energy after three months and Yasu felt better in just one month’s time. Both Yasu and Elizabeth also wanted to lose some weight so they decided to try USANA’s cleansing programs and both saw dramatic results.
As part of the cleanse you eat 5-6 meal replacement shakes and nutrition bars for the first 5 days, then begin to introduce healthy, low glycemic foods. Yasu joked that at first he felt like it might be too hard because he felt so hungry. Then he remembered how years ago when he was studying to be a Buddhist Monk, he successfully accomplished his given task to have nothing but water for three weeks. He went on to tell me that after his Buddhist studies, he went to London to work with sick children. During that time he had to take a job in a restaurant to make ends meet. This was the beginning of his interest in the food industry. His compassion to help others is still alive inside. He is involved in many different types of fundraising projects and donates a great deal of money to schools each year. (When you look into USANA, also take a look at their M.O.N.E.Y.T.R.E.E. Formula, as Yasu mentions he is very impressed by the way this business model is done and hopes to someday apply it to his fundraising efforts).
As part of my March interviews, I wanted to find out the common characteristics of successful individuals. The recurring attitude people like Yasu and Elizabeth possess is resilience and strength. They connect with their inner power and keep trying until they reach their goals. As Elizabeth mentioned, it also means using your skills to find a way around a road block. After my time with this dynamic team, I think they could pretty much outsmart any roadblock that comes their way.
