KEEPING UP WITH

BEHIND THE SCENES OF KE-UH RESTAURANT WITH GENERAL MANAGER SAYURI “SAI” JONES

By Sherri Balefsky Hanson

Where are you from?

I’m from Sapporo, Japan, the biggest city on Hokkaido Island. It is the mecca of fusion cuisine, known for fresh seafood, sushi, and pastries.

When did you join the Acqualina team?

After over 10 years working on South Beach, I joined Ke-uH at Acqualina in October 2020. We officially opened to the public in January 2021.

What makes Ke-uH stand out?

Some restaurants have great chefs. Some have quality ingredients. And others have the ambiance. Ke-uH has all the above! Our Executive Chef Edwin Delgado and Corporate Executive Chef Oscar Noborikawa carefully select the freshest ingredients – they know where to get them and how to properly treat fish (unfortunately, many chefs do not!). They have opened multiple award-winning restaurants, and their knowledge and extension of recipes are remarkable.

The rest of our staff is also amazing. We have such a bright and kind team. And when people around you are kind, you want to do the same. We complement one another and have the “Let’s do it” power.

Can you give an example of a time you went above and beyond for a guest?

Personalized service is the core of hospitality, so “above and beyond” just comes naturally to us. For example, one of our frequent guests was an older gentleman who dined with us a few times a week. He stopped coming briefly, then one day, he showed up in a hospital gown and told us he snuck out to see us! He ordered his usual, but he struggled to take bites. So we made him some mini sushi so he could eat! When another repeat guest said he was sick, we delivered a care box with soup. I don’t consider this going above and beyond...it’s in our nature and we are just personable!