Tyson Cole

Tyson Cole
Born September 3, 1970 (1970-09-03) (age 41)
Sarasota, FL, USA
Cooking style Japanese, and Fusion
Education Apprenticeship

Tyson Cole (born September 3, 1970, Sarasota, FL, USA) [1] is a chef and restaurateur based in Austin, Texas, USA.

The culinary talents of chef and sushi master Tyson Cole are showcased at two Austin, Texas restaurants: award-winning “siblings,” Uchi and Uchiko. Chef Cole’s menu expands on the Japanese tradition, blending delectable new flavors and influences to create wonderfully original and accessible cuisine. In 2011, Chef Cole secured his berth at the top of his field with his win as “Best Chef, Southwest” at the James Beard Foundation Awards.

Biography

Cole began his culinary career as a dishwasher at a Japanese restaurant named Kyoto in downtown Austin, Texas. Attrition among the restaurant's staff gave Cole the opportunity to begin making sushi.[2] He was attending the University of Texas Austin, with interests in painting and architecture.[3] Cole worked three and a half years at Kyoto, from 1992 to 1996.[4]

Starting in mid-1996, Cole apprenticed for six and a half years [4] under Takehiko Fuse, owner/chef of Musashino Sushi Dokoro in Austin, TX.[5] Cole also learned Japanese during this stint.[5]

In May 2003, Cole opened Uchi, a 95-seat 2,600 square feet (240 m2) sushi restaurant in Austin.[1][6]

On July 6, 2010, Cole opened his second restaurant, Uchiko (loosely translated meaning "offspring of Uchi") after a three-week soft opening period.

Awards

In 2005, Food & Wine Magazine named Tyson Cole "Best New Chef", one among ten chefs to receive that award.[7]

He led a team of Uchi chefs against Chef Masaharu Morimoto on the Food Network program Iron Chef America in March 2008.[8]

In 2006, Cole won goodhealth.com's "Healthy Chef Showdown" by a hair, over chef David Bull of the Driskill Grill.[3]

In 2008, 2009, and 2010, the James Beard Foundation named Cole as a semifinalist in the “Best Chef: Southwest” category of its "James Beard Foundation Award",[9] 2009,[10] 2010.[11]

In 2011, Cole was awarded the James Beard Award for "Best Chef: Southwest.".[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Ruggless, Ron (2004). "Tyson Cole: sushi chef puts raw talent to good use". Nation's Restaurant News. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_11_38/ai_114405379. 
  2. ^ Best New Chefs - 2005 - Tyson Cole | Food & Wine
  3. ^ a b A Conversation With Uchi's Tyson Cole - Good Health by SETON
  4. ^ a b Orman, Shelley (August 26, 2007). "Tyson Cole wins over sushi lovers with innovative style". http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2007/08/27/focus6.html. 
  5. ^ a b Tyson Cole of Uchi Restaurant
  6. ^ TaxNetUSA: Travis County Property Information http://www.traviscad.org/travisdetail.php?theKey=101869
  7. ^ "Best New Chefs 2005". Food and Wine. 2005. http://www.foodandwine.com/best_new_chefs/tyson-cole. Retrieved August 13, 2010. 
  8. ^ "Morimoto vs. Cole". Food Network. March 2008. http://www.foodnetwork.com/iron-chef-america/morimoto-vs-cole/index.html. Retrieved August 13, 2010. 
  9. ^ "The James Beard Foundation Awards". James Beard Foundation. March 24, 2008. http://www.jamesbeard.org/files/2008_semifinalists.pdf. Retrieved August 13, 2010. 
  10. ^ "2009 James Beard Foundation Awards Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists". James Beard Foundation. 2009. http://www.jamesbeard.org/files/2009_JBF_RESTAURANTCHEF_AWARD_SEMIFINALISTS.pdf. Retrieved August 13, 2010. 
  11. ^ "2010 James Beard Foundation Awards Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists". James Beard Foundation. 2010. http://www.jamesbeard.org/files/2010_SEMIFINALISTS_FINAL.pdf. Retrieved August 13, 2010. 
  12. ^ "The James Beard Foundation Awards". James Beard Foundation. May 9, 2011. http://www.jamesbeard.org/files/2011_JBF_Awards_Winners.pdf. Retrieved May 10, 2011.