Nombe Hires Nori Sugie as Executive Chef

Mission izakaya Nombe is about to undergo some impressive changes with the recent hire of Nori Sugie as executive chef. Sugie was last seen at LA's Breadbar doing a super popular ramen pop-up. He also has roles at Chicago's Charlie Trotter's and New York's Asiate on his resume, and he's started his own line of Japanese-style plate ware. Sugie has been looking for the right fit for some time in San Francisco, and this Nombe gig seems to make sense. Owners Mari Takahashi and Gil Payne have been good about letting past chefs Nick Balla and Vincent Schofield spread their wings in the kitchen, and they'll certainly do so with a chef of Sugie's pedigree.

To begin with, he'll be heading up a new lunch service (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) on Tuesday through Thursday, beginning on the 10th of this month. The ramen-people out there are definitely going to want to sample his new "elevated," decadent beef-based ramen broth featuring short rib, oxtail, or beef tongue. According to a press release, "Sugie will introduce a few dishes each week to the dinner menu until February when a new dinner menu will be launched." Takahashi and Payne will keep up their roles, running sushi-making classes and the sake program, respectively.

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