OUR TEAM
Charles Namba
Chef/Owner
A childhood spent eating his mom's homemade Japanese cooking combined with years in French kitchens inspired Charles' love of cuisine. In his free time he loves eating simple food, done simply.
Courtney Kaplan
Owner/
Wine + Sake Director
Courtney's career in hospitality began at a yakiniku restaurant in Tokyo many years ago. Although she only intended restaurants to be a stop on the way to "a real job," she got hooked on the energy and excitement of working with a team, the connection to food and farmers, and of course the incredible culture around sake and wine. And here we are.
Her desert island drink would be a light and refreshing honjozo-style sake, or champagne.
Brad Ritter
Brad developed an early appreciation for food growing up on his family's farm on the plains of Montana. After managing grocery stores and a stint as a cheesemonger, he discovered restaurant work and found that being on a kitchen team and making food that brings people together is pretty much what it's all about.
Brad is a relative newcomer to LA after a decade in Washington DC and enjoys exploring the city on his bicycle and enjoying an occasional afternoon cappuccino.
Kevin Nguyễn
Bar Lead
Kevin enjoys hospitality so much because he just loves a good system! Restaurants and bars are just a bunch of small microcosms put together to create an organized chaos that’s so multifaceted that is uniquely its own thing.
Kevin is a very adventurous eater - he’ll eat just about anything, but absolutely HATES ketchup.
Cristian Naranjo
Sous Chef
From his abuelito feeding him tacos of queso fresco with honey, to his mom and grandma showing him how to cook their favorite dishes, Cristian's greatest memories are often attached to eating and sharing food/drink with family and loved ones. As simple and mundane cooking might be, there’s nothing more complex and fulfilling for him. Just like there’s over 100 ways to cook an egg, there’s 100 ways to make and show love.
If he can’t laugh, he’ll perish.
Susana Garcia
Service Manager
Susana thanks her mom for inspiring her love for food and restaurants. Coming together for a home cooked meal, or making time to try new restaurants was a staple growing up! It's definitely one of her love languages.
Susana’s favorite genre of movies are horror/slasher films.
Yuneri Nava
Service Manager
Yuneri didn’t realize how much she'd love working with sake until she was introduced to it at OTOTO. Sake has sparked her curiosity to further expand her knowledge. It’s so fun to play with pairings and learn about the art that goes behind it!
Her toxic trait is that she will take you up on a spicy challenge anytime, anywhere.