Fans of “Iron Chef” may remember two-time winner Katsuya Fukushima pressure-cooking goat ribs with then-boss Jose Andres, or on a later competition breaking down a 40-pound mahi-mahi. Or D.C. foodies may remember this outgoing fellow as the adventurous head chef at now-defunct Cafe Atlantico in Penn Quarter. But today, Fukushima turns up as executive chef at a shared venture called Daikaya, a ramen bar downstairs and a cool, contemporary izakaya lounge upstairs.
Welcome back to the kitchen, Katsuya Fukushima! As it turns out, this wildly successful young chef with a devout following has taken some time off, trying to figure out where next after working for Andres for almost 15 years. “I moved back with my parents,” he says, adding that he enjoyed spending focused time with his family and relaxing, reading and watching TV.
