Tokyo, JP -> Sonoma County
The Beginning
1990
Ken came to Sonoma County from Tokyo. His parents immersed him from early childhood into the city's vibrant dining scene. As a boy in Japan, Ken started his culinary apprenticeship. Through high school he worked in restaurants, first as a dishwasher, then as a prep cook, catching a few hours sleep before returning to class. After graduation Ken moved to California to join his family's business, an optics company that had established a presence in the united states.
Local restaurants and the influence of French, Italian, and Chinese cuisine began to color his culinary taste. When Ken's family sold their business, he seized the opportunity to return to his first love. He went back to Tokyo to attend the Akasaka Cooking School. By day he learned to cook everything from tempura to udon.
By night, he frequented his favorite sushi restaurants, studying the work of the sushi masters he'd known since he was a boy, coaxing them to reveal recipes and tips, then adapting their secrets to reflect his personal style, while still representing authentic Japanese tradition.
Japan & USA
The Saké Arc
2010
The technique to ferment rice into an alcoholic drink was developed in ancient China. It arrived in Japan along with rice cultivation around 2500 years ago. Since then, Japanese people continuously refined production methods to create a truly unique drink called sake.
The expansion of the saké tasting room happened 20 years after the original opening of Hana.
Our sake program contains intricate tasting notes for beginners and seasoned saké connoisseurs can both enjoy.
Whether its to find your go-to saké or new flavors, we invite our customers to take advantage of our extensive micro-brewery-focused sake list, ask questions, get some fun education, and explore sake as an integral part of experiencing a Japanese flavor centric dining.
Tokyo, JP -> Sonoma County
A New Challenge
2022
KEITA TOMINAGA
OUR CURRENT EXECUTIVE CHEF
Executive Chef Keita Tominaga's motto is to let the beauty of Sonoma County shine through Japanese Cuisine and Japanese culture. By tapping into his Japanese roots his goal is to spread Japanese food and culture to everyone who visits Hana. Born in Sonoma County Santa Rosa as the son of the 2nd Generation owner-chef "Kenichi Tominaga".
At a young trail-blazing age, he started working at the 1 Star Michelin Restaurant “Farmhouse Restaurant & Inn”, where he learned cooking fundamentals and cementing his love of the craft. After Farmhouse, he started working at "Diavola", an Italian restaurant in Geyserville. At "Diavola" he learned rustic Italian cooking and the practice of incorporating predominantly local ingredients and produce. It was during this time at “Diavola” Keita started to build towards his dream of becoming a Chef. In pursuit of this dream, deciding to become a student at the Culinary Institute of America, the most prestigious culinary school in the country. During his studies at the CIA, he did his internship at the “Auberge du Soleil” a 5-star luxury hotel in Napa Valley. After graduating from the CIA he started working at, Jackson Family Wines one of California’s largest wineries. He worked in the culinary kitchen at the winery where he learned and discussed the science of food and wine pairing.
Seeking a challenge, Keita went to Japan with a one-way ticket in 2018 in an effort to explore his roots and deepen his understanding of Japanese cuisine in "Japan" (where his parents were born and raised). After exploring Tokyo and other regions in Japan, he studied under Ryohei Hayashi, a former head chef at “Kikunoi” in Akasaka. Ryohei also was the right-hand man of Yoshihiro Murata, the 3rd Generation of “Kikunoi”. Ryohei opened “Tenoshima” in Aoyama, and by working there Keita learned the depth of traditional Japanese Kappo style omakasé experiences.
In 2022 he became the 3rd generation of Hana to continue the legacy and the story that began over 30 years ago - spreading Japanese food culture through his ever-changing interpretations of what food should be.