Chef Don Yamauchi
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Don Yamauchi signed on as Executive Chef at Forte Restaurant and Bar in Birmingham, Michigan, beginning June 1, 2008. Forte is owned by, Epoch Restaurant Group of Novi. Chef Yamauchi was most recently with Michael Mina's MGM Grand Detroit restaurants, Bourbon Steak and Saltwater where he oversaw the kitchens as executive chef. Prior to this, Yamauchi was executive chef at Epoch Restaurant Group’s nationally acclaimed Tribute Restaurant in Farmington Hills, Michigan, from January 2005 until August 2007.
Yamauchi's creative and eye-opening flavor combinations push the boundaries of innovative cuisine to amuse and thrill diners on a nightly basis. He describes his exquisitely detailed food, distinguished by its diversity, inventiveness and his commitment to spectacular presentation, as "contemporary French with a global accent."
Yamauchi is highly celebrated, recognized by Food and Wine Magazine as one of our country’s Best New Chefs, and a James Beard Nominee for Best Chef in the Midwest. His peers and critics note his “fierce dedication to perfection.” Chef Yamauchi explains, “I want to make the dining experience so special that the guest is left with an unforgettable memory of their visit to Forte."
When Yamauchi first arrived in Michigan, he was handpicked by former Executive Chef Takashi Yagihashi for Tribute. Longtime friends full of mutual respect and admiration, these two men have shared histories in Chicago fine dining and cooked side by side at numerous fundraisers over the last ten years.
Born in Chicago, IL and raised in Skokie, IL, Yamauchi stayed close to home attending the Culinary School of Kendall College. Yamauchi takes over at Forte after holding top positions in some of Chicago’s finest restaurants, including Le Francais (which has been called the best French restaurant in America by the likes of Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Mimi Sheraton and Craig Clairborn) and also four-star restaurants Carlos (in Highwood) and Gordon.
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