Yellowtail

Akira Back

Chef and owner of Yellowtail, born Sung Ook Back in Seoul and raised from age 13 in Aspen, Colorado. He spent seven years on the professional snowboarding circuit, working sushi-prep shifts at Kenichi in Aspen to pay for it, before choosing the kitchen over the board full time — he went on to open Kenichi in Austin and as opening chef in Kona, Hawaii. He debuted Yellowtail at Bellagio in 2008 and was named Best Chef in Las Vegas that same year; his flagship Dosa in Seoul earned a Michelin star in 2017, and he now runs a global portfolio of roughly 28 restaurants blending Japanese technique with Korean flavor.