Meet The Team
Maiko Kyogoku
Founder
Maiko Kyogoku's modern approach to traditional Japanese dishes reflect her multicultural heritage as a Japanese-American New Yorker.
Kyogoku grew up in New York in a restaurant-owning family, so she was never a stranger to food and hospitality.
After 15 years honing her experience leading operations for Daniel Boulud, the Bromberg Brothers and the Thompson Hotel group, she opened Bessou Restaurant in 2016, a love letter to her Japanese heritage and the Japanese home cooking of her childhood.
Elena Yamamoto
Executive Chef
Elena Yamamoto is a chef with a background in art.
After leaping into the culinary world with back-of-house jobs at Momofuku Milk Bar and Mission Chinese, she moved to Japan to truly pursue cooking and learning the magic of using hyper-seasonal and fresh ingredients.
She brought her experience back to the US and became co-chef at Karasu. Elena’s philosophy is centered around using authentic Japanese ingredients and creating artful dishes.