FOOD words by EMILY & STEWART LANE | photos by ANNA PETROW
Call Me Sayachi. Emily Lane: As the daughter of a small-town Kansas mother and a “meat and potatoes” Pennsylvania father, sushi wasn’t something that ended up on our dinner table often (read: ever). As a Midwesterner, I was always pretty skeptical about what sort of raw fish was going to end up on my plate, but as I traveled and grew into adulthood, I learned that, when prepared properly, sushi could be a delicious art form, and I was hooked. So much so that after the birth of my daughter, my cousin Lisa showed up at the hospital with several varieties of rolls, per my request. Thanks to Chef Carlos Falcon and the newly opened Sayachi, our geographical distance from the ocean is easily forgotten, being immersed in the diverse offerings flown in each day. Stewart Lane: Sushi as a concept is nearly 2,000 years old, dating back to the rice farmers who worked and lived along the Mekong delta. These people used rice and salt to ferment their fish, and when it came time to dine, they would eat the fish and throw out the rice. It wasn’t until the 1820s that a chef named Hanaya Yohei started experimenting with pickling the rice and serving fresh raw fish on top, creating the Nigiri-sushi we love today. Sayachi has featured this time-honored tradition with precision and a focus on the best available ingredients. EL: I’ll admit, sentiment goes a long with me when I’m learning about the different chefs and restaurants we write about, and no one has better touched my heart than the story behind the creation of Sayachi. Chef Falcon has already made a name for himself in Kansas City as he introduced Veracruz-style Mexican seafood to us at his first restaurant, Jarocho, which opened in 2014 and then a second location, Jarocho South, followed in 2017. But Chef Falcon had another project in mind. His wife and managing partner, Sayaka, is a native to Okinawa, Japan, and this restaurant was his “love letter” to her. Sayaka is the affable woman with a bright smile who you might have the privilege of meeting when
22 | TODAY KANSAS CITY | SPRING 2020
