CHEF’S TABLE

BY KATIE JANSEN PHOTOS BY JOSH MANNING

CHEF KATSUJI TANABE’S CACTUS SALAD

Top Chef alumnus Katsuji Tanabe describes his latest venture as a family restaurant—and to build the menu, he has drawn on memories of his own family.

A’Verde Cocina and Tequila Library reflect Tanabe’s Mexican and Japanese heritage—but it’s not a fusion restaurant, he’s sure to emphasize. It’s Mexican food with Japanese elements contributing, such as the use of soy sauce or fish sauce to build layers o flavo. The resulting dishes, Tanabe says, are “my soul on the plate.”

“A lot of the dishes I’m putting on the menu are dishes I was raised eating,” he says. “I think every chef should be able to tell a story through their food. I always feel a lot of my life and my personal experience through my food.”

Take, for example, the fried rice inspired by a Sunday tradition from Tanabe’s childhood, when his dad would make a Chinese-styled fried rice from the leftover Mexican rice his mom cooked for the week. This dish could include many different things—carnitas, pork belly, a fried egg—and was finished with a sweet and spicy sauce made from soy sauce, brown sugar, and chilies.

Tanabe grew up watching his grandmother cook for his entire family, and credits her with helping to shape his culinary career. He remembers how she’d let him help in the kitchen after school.

“My grandma was the center of my family,” he says. “I was always very proud to be helping her, even if it was something as small as chopping onions or peeling garlic. I remember feeling like I was a part of something that was feeding my family.”

As head chef at A’Verde Cocina and Tequila Library, Tanabe is now behind feeding many families in Cary. The restaurant, located on Walnut Street, opened in July and is the newest addition to LM Restaurants’ portfolio. LM Restaurants, a family-owned hospitality company that has been operating for 42 years, is also behind Raleigh’s Vidrio and Taverna Agora, as well as restaurants in Wilmington and Florida.

Tanabe initially began partnering with LM Restaurants after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of his previous Raleigh restaurant, High Horse. LM Restaurants asked Tanabe to join their team as a culinary innovator, helping to refine and elevate thei existing restaurants. That partnership was such a success that LM Restaurants decided to partner with Tanabe to launch a new concept, and A’Verde Cocina and Tequila Library was born.

The tequila library will be situated in a corner of the restaurant, enabling guests to try different types of tequilas and creating a fun, relaxed atmosphere, Tanabe says.

“There are a lot of bourbon bars out there, and we wanted to create a similar experience that allowed people to explore the world of tequila,” says Amber Moshakos, president of LM Restaurants. “The flavor pofiles chang depending on where the agave plant is grown and how the spirit is produced, and we’re looking to share this with the community.”

In addition to tastes of tequila, the restaurant offers margarita flights that hel ease indecision for the guest who wants to try multiple flavors (such as spic, watermelon, mango or cucumber).

“Katsuji’s idea for something as simple as a flight of magaritas is the perfect example of why we named him our culinary innovator,” Moshakos says. “He has an innovative mindset and thinks about how we can meet customer needs while also pushing boundaries and trying something no one else is doing.”

The tequila library won’t be the only place where options abound; the restaurant also offers rotating salsas. While there are thousands of salsas in the world, the primary three types that showcase Mexico’s culture are chunky, fresh and vinegar-based. Some of his favorites include the white habañero made from onions, garlic, habanero peppers and vinegar, as well as the creamy tomato, made by emulsifying tomatoes and chipotle peppers for a creamy texture.

Other menu offerings of note include the octopus tacos and the ceviche, which Tanabe describes as “so fresh it transports you to Mexico the minute you put it in your mouth.”

Moshakos describes Tanabe’s vision as fresh and exciting. “People kind of have this perception of what Mexican cuisine is,” she says. “But Katsuji is able to broaden that perception by introducing them to new things and always offering new flavor pofiles.

LM Restaurants also partnered with well-known restaurateur Giorgios Bakatsias to design the space. “We really wanted to recreate and repurpose rather than buying all new items for this space,” Moshakos says. “It was exciting to see how Giorgios put together a collection we’ve had for many years to meet our goals of respecting our environmental footprint.”

Both the design and the food make the restaurant fun and comfortable, Moshakos says. “We want this to be somewhere you can bring the whole family—not just somewhere you come for birthdays and anniversaries.”

Choriza is a type of loose sausage that is found throughout Mexico. It is versatile and great in tacos or with scrambled eggs.

2 pounds of ground pork or beef 1 tablespoon of achiote paste (commonly found at Mexican markets) ½ tablespoon of powder cinnamon 1 tablespoon of powder garlic 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika 1 tablespoon of chipotle (canned chipotles work well) 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

Pinch of ground cloves 1 tablespoon of ground cumin ½ tablespoon of kosher salt 1 teaspoon of oregano

Mixer with the paddle attachment (or mix in a mixing bowl using your own clean hands)

Combine all ingredients. Let the mixture chill in the refrigerator for at least three hours so the flavors hav time to combine. Then, sauté the mixture until it is cooked through. Add cheese or scrambled eggs, make it into a taco, or do all three at once.