Knowledge Friday With Restaurateur Jesse Matsuoka

Come to The Church hungry for knowledge on Friday, February 7, when Ryunosuke “Jesse” Matsuoka, restaurateur of Sen and K Pasa, serves up the first Knowledge Friday of the year by exploring the “Brotherhood of the Traveling Palate.” The presentation begins at 6 p.m.

Hear how sitting down at a table with a family for true local culture and cuisine, immersion beyond the standard tourist favorites, shaped Matsuoka’s understanding and appreciation of diverse culinary art and etiquette. Learn how this knowledge has helped him to open several successful restaurants of varying cultural cuisines. Experience his journey to becoming a sake expert and founder of the American Sake Association. Find out, once and for all, what the diet of a Sumo wrestler looks like and what it takes to prepare. After the discussion, there will be a Q&A with the renaissance man of restaurants.

A Sag Harbor resident and current owner of Sen restaurant on Main Street, Matsuoka has a passion for all things culinary that began when he was a kid growing up in both Japan and Hawaii. He is an East Ender, but his appetite for cultural culinary curiosity has led him on off-season adventures around the globe, deepening his appreciation for the culinary arts and giving him a unique perspective and taste.

Born in New York City in 1985, Matsuoka was raised and educated in Tokyo and Honolulu before settling permanently on the South Fork in 2003. His deeply-rooted family ties to Japanese culture and culinary arts shaped his career with his father, Kazutomo Matsuoka, a retired top-division sumo wrestler turned chef, opening Sen Restaurant in Sag Harbor in the mid-1990s. Jesse Matsuoka began working at Sen 20 years ago, rising through the ranks from dishwasher to general manager by 2009. As a certified sake sommelier, he is a key figure in the American sake industry, founding the American Sake Association in 2018. Among many concepts and projects through the years, he opened K Pasa on Main Street, Sag Harbor, in 2019. Beyond his culinary ventures, Matsuoka is a vital member of the Sag Harbor community, serving on local boards and volunteering at the food pantry.

Tickets are $10 (members free with RSVP) at thechurchsagharbor.org. The Church is at 48 Madison Street, Sag Harbor.