Sushi Chef Hiroyuki Maruyama—Yama, for short—hails from a family of chefs in Nagano, Japan. After cooking school and five years as a traditional Japanese chef, Yama went to work at a cousin’s restaurant where he learned the art of making sushi. Apprenticing directly under the sushi chef, Yama mastered the tools, techniques and presentation of this deliciously beautiful cuisine

In 1980, Yama moved to the United States and six years later opened his first sushi restaurant, Kawagiku, in downtown Philadelphia, winning Philadelphia magazine’s 1997 “Best of Philly” Award for best sushi restaurant. In 1989, he opened Yama in Wilmington, Delaware, eventually moving to Glen Mills in 2005 where he opened Wakita of Japan. Named for his mentor, an official chef to the Emperor of Japan, Wakita honors the man who inspired and advised 20-year-old Yama as he began his long journey to Master Sushi Chef.