Masu, sushi bar at Valor Acres, Brecksville

A Culinary Institute of America graduate, Jake McDaniel came to Cleveland to cook for Chef Dante Boccuzzi, starting on pasta at Dante in Tremont. He helped open Ginko, studied pasta in Italy, opened Goma, then came back to run the kitchen at Ginko as head chef for three years.

A week at the Michelin-starred Shibumi in Los Angeles, under Kikunoi alumnus Chef Derek Wilcox, convinced him to open his own place. He brought Dante on as a partner, and Masu found its home at Valor Acres in Brecksville.

What sets his sushi apart is how it starts: sustainable seafood, traced to where it comes from, and fish dry-aged in house to deepen its flavor. His food pays homage to Japan and its technique, drawing on his background in Western kitchens and tuned to a Midwestern palate.

Sustainability

Masu is built around sustainable seafood. Japanese imports sit beside American fish, each sourced from sustainable habitats, whether wild or raised. Masu holds MSC and ASC chain of custody certification, is a proud partner in the Seafood Watch Best Choice program, and shows where every fish on the menu comes from.

Fish is dry-aged in a cabinet behind the sushi bar, where the whole room can see it, and cut to order in front of you.

“I want to be as transparent as possible.”

Jake McDaniel, Co-owner/Chef, in Cleveland Magazine

See where our fish comes from