Maynard James Keenan is turning a decades-long love of sushi into his latest business venture, with the Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer frontman preparing to open his own sushi restaurant in Cottonwood, Arizona.
Dubbed Queen B Sushi, the new establishment is being launched by Keenan and his wife Jennifer and is set to open September 4th at 816 N. Main St. in Old Town Cottonwood.
The restaurant is another addition to the couple’s growing collection of businesses in the area. They previously opened the Queen B Vinyl Café, which operates as a record store, café and live music venue, while Keenan‘s broader ventures in the Verde Valley also include Caduceus Cellars, Merkin Vineyards, a wine bar, barber shop, ramen house, coffee roaster and the Verde Valley Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy.
Sushi has been a particular passion of Keenan‘s for decades. He revealed that he’s actually carried the same pair of travel chopsticks with him for roughly 25 years, dating back to his first Japanese tour with A Perfect Circle in 2000.
“Although I’ve been enjoying sushi since my days in Boston, circa 1987, my first Japanese tour wasn’t until 2000 with A Perfect Circle. It was an eye opening and mind-blowing experience. While there, I picked up these amazing titanium and hard wood travel chopsticks from Snow Peak. And I’ve carried them with me ever since.”
Keenan recently got a chance to demonstrate just how long he’s kept the chopsticks when he crossed paths with Janeane Garofalo in New York.
“Last year I ran into Janeane Garofalo at the Chelsea in NYC. She was saying to David Cross and Dave Hill, ‘I haven’t seen Maynard in several years but one thing I remember is that he used to carry chopsticks in his pocket.’ At which point I reached into my pocket and pulled them out. Twenty-five years I’ve been carrying these chopsticks. That’s how much I love sushi.”
The restaurant’s culinary team is being led by Culinary Director Chef Brett Vibber, whose résumé includes work at Roka Akor locations in London, Hong Kong and the U.S.
Vibber has assembled the kitchen team alongside Chef Chuhiro “Thomas” Kato, who trained under Nobu Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills and Masaharu Morimoto in New York, and Arizona native Chef Sheridan “Sher” Chase, who has worked in kitchens across California and Texas.
The sushi concept reportedly came together while Keenan and Jennifer were developing the menu for the Queen B Vinyl Café. They initially abandoned plans for a full sushi program, believing finding the right chef in a town of approximately 12,000 people would be difficult. Vibber ultimately proved to be the person they were looking for.
Queen B Sushi will also feature a rotating selection of wines from Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards.
Reservations are currently being accepted through Toast.
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[Via ThePRP]
