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.