Tyson Cole is a passionate student of the Japanese tradi­tion. He has trained for more than 10 years in Tokyo, New York, and Austin, under two different sushi masters. He continues his path of study and exper­i­men­ta­tion at Uchi, devel­oping unprece­dented, multi-cultural combi­na­tions using his impec­cable knowl­edge of tech­nique.

Cole became fasci­nated with sushi in his early twen­ties while working at an Austin Japanese restau­rant. He dedi­cated himself to learning every aspect of the cuisine. Demon­strating skill and dexterity with the knife, he quickly worked his way from dish­washer to head sushi chef. Cole then moved to Austin's top sushi restau­rant, Musashino, where he completed an inten­sive tradi­tional appren­tice­ship under owner Take­hiko Fuse. The two spent time in Japan, where Cole expe­ri­enced the food and gained tech­nical skill.

Fuse chal­lenged him to learn the Japanese language, which helped Cole learn more about the cuisine. He later trained at Bond Street, one of the busiest sushi restau­rants in New York City. In his last year at Musashino, Cole began exper­i­menting with new ideas about flavors, influ­ences and ingre­di­ents, running the restau­rant in Fuse's absence.

Then in May of 2003 Uchi opened with Cole as Exec­u­tive Chef and co-owner. Cole's gift of marrying global ingre­di­ents and flavors with tradi­tional Japanese flavors quickly garnered him local as well as national atten­tion and Uchi became one of the top fine dining restau­rants in Austin. The acco­lades continued when he was awarded a coveted spot on Food and Wine Magazine's Best New Chefs of 2005 list. In May 2011, Cole received a James Beard Foun­da­tion Award for Best Chef: South­west.

Unlike many exec­u­tive chefs, Cole is not just an over­seer. He brings great energy to the sushi bar every night, conversing with patrons, intu­iting their wishes, and using razor sharp knives at rapid speed to turn out works of edible art. Simul­ta­ne­ously, Cole directs the other sushi chefs, the bartender, the cooks on the line and the yaki­tori grill, as well as collab­o­rating with the chef de cuisine.

"Ingre­di­ents and flavors from all over the world are easily acces­sible now," Cole says. "The cuisine I create is play­fully multi-cultural, mixing the Japanese tradi­tion with tastes that inspire me."

Cole opened his second restau­rant in Austin, Uchiko, in July 2010 and cele­brated the release of Uchi the Cook­book in March 2011.

Bio adapted from Uchi.