In 2011, sushi chef Hiro Ikegaya opened Mirakutei as a Japanese tapas, ramen and sushi bar. For the past 8 years, Ikegaya has served the city of Portland a creative combination of traditional and fusion dishes out of his East Burnside restaurant where today, he is writing the final chapters in his career as a chef. His legacy can be traced back decades as Portland residents can remember Ikegaya’s past innovating restaurants, Hiro Sushi and Hiroshi’s. In 2018, Ikegaya semi-retired, selling the restaurant to new Chef/Owner Job Martinez. Martinez, a 22-year veteran sushi chef, started his career in the industry as a dishwasher at Ikegaya’s Hiro Sushi in Lake Oswego during his summer breaks while in high school. Since then, Martinez has worked his way to a pair of head sushi chef positions for Portland sushi bars Masu and Bamboo Sushi SE. Martinez brings deft knife skills and a blue-collar work ethic to Mirakutei. He is joined by a staff that consists of former apprentices and cooks of Ikegaya’s, including his brother Nico, who is also a sushi chef. What the future holds for Mirakutei is in the hands of a generation of chefs trained under Ikegaya. Martinez and his staff are determined to uphold the meaning of the name Mirakutei, which means a place to eat and enjoy.