Michael Yakura served as the owner and chef of Spinning Bones Restaurant in Alameda, California, from November 2019 to May 2024. Spinning Bones is a California rotisserie concept specializing in roasted meats, vibrant salads, unique sandwiches, and fresh vegetable dishes. Launched in late 2019, Spinning Bones quickly became popular among the local residents of Alameda. Despite the challenges posed by the 2020/21 pandemic, the newly established restaurant successfully navigated these obstacles by offering take-out services, converting an old parking lot into an outdoor dining area, and eventually constructing a parklet. Spinning Bones received the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand distinction each year from 2021 through 2024.

 

In 2011, Yakura and Daniel Sterling, the Director of Operations for OCI, collaborated to establish Dobbs Ferry Restaurant and Dobbs Bar in San Francisco. Dobbs Ferry was a neighborhood establishment influenced by its East Coast-born owners, who introduced Westchester County's hospitality and cuisine to the West Coast. This restaurant became a favored local spot, significantly contributing to the revitalization of the previously quiet Hayes Valley district, transforming it into a thriving area of the city.

 

During their tenure with Dobbs Ferry, they initiated a successful Asian noodle pop-up named NoodleMe. In 2016, they established a brick-and-mortar store in San Francisco's financial district, building upon the success of the pop-up concept. NoodleMe introduced an innovative approach to to-go noodle soups with its unique packaging and concept. The establishment served the financial district for nearly five years before closing due to the pandemic in 2019.

 

From 2006 to 2011, Yakura served as the Corporate Chef of Ozumo Concepts International, overseeing the operations of Ozumo Restaurants in San Francisco, Oakland, and Santa Monica, as well as the Sonoma Wine Garden, a wine bar concept in Santa Monica. Ozumo is a contemporary Japanese restaurant specializing in various aspects of Japanese cuisine including sushi, robata-yaki, tempura, and nabemono, all offered within an upscale interior and polished service.

For four and a half years, Yakura led the San Francisco Ozumo, where he took pride in being able to craft the cuisine reflecting his family's heritage. His move from a career in design to professional culinary arts was inspired by his 102-year-old grandmother and his Nisei (second generation Japanese) parents.

 

Yakura is currently the VP of Culinary at MKA Consulting in Kansas City, MO. Over the past 18 years, he has intermittently worked with McDonnell-Kinder and Associates, a restaurant consulting firm that collaborates with corporate restaurant groups, service industry vendors, and chefs worldwide. They have contributed to the concepts and menus of several major groups in the nation: Chili's, Houlihan's, Checkers, Chick-fil-A, P.F. Chang's, and Chicken N Pickle.

 

Yakura received a Bachelor of Arts in Design from San Francisco State University in 1995 and worked professionally in the design field as a graphic designer and project manager.  When away from his busy life in the kitchen, Yakura enjoys spending time with his wife Andrea and their three children Miles, Davis and Sami.