Dick Durbin: “last Sunday, the legendary chef Yoshi Katsumura passed away after a battle with cancer. You would never guess that a…”

“last Sunday, the legendary chef Yoshi Katsumura passed away after a battle with cancer. You would never guess that a 15-minute walk from Wrigley Field, where hot dogs and beer reign supreme, would take you to a place bringing together the foods of Tokyo, Paris, Lyon, and Chicago. But that is what Yoshi built at the quiet, unassuming place known simply as Yoshi's Cafe. Honored by his peers for the past 30 years of exquisite food preparation, Yoshi was a master of his art. Yoshi was born in Japan's Ibaraki Prefecture--a region on the main island of Japan--in 1950. At the age of 20, he apprenticed under another legendary chef, Hiroyuki Sakai in Tokyo. Through Sakai, Yoshi began learning the complexities of French cooking. In 1973, Yoshi ventured to Chicago, where he quickly advanced in fine French culinary arts. He studied under Chicago's first celebrity chef, Jean Banchet, at Le Francais. Yoshi would go on to refine his skills in Paris and Lyon, and he returned to Chicago as a chef and partner at the city's premier French fusion restaurant, Jimmy's Place. In 1982, Yoshi opened his own restaurant with his wife Nobuko, Yoshi's Place. For more than three decades, Yoshi's Cafe has won the hearts and stomachs of Chicago and the country. Yoshi's has been featured on the Food Network and listed among ``America's Top Tables'' by Conde Nast's Gourmet magazine.…”