Shinichi Maeda to leave Brisbane's Sake restaurant

The head chef at Sake Restaurant & Bar in Brisbane, Shinichi Maeda, is moving on.

In a shock announcement today, John Szangolies, chief executive of The Urban Purveyor Group, announced the acclaimed chef will be leaving the group in September. Previous to joining the Urban Purveyor Group, Maeda was head chef at the two hatted Wasabi in Noosa.

Maeda and his wife are returning to his hometown of Hokkaido, Japan, to be close to family.

Maeda and his team will continue to work across some of Sake Restaurant & Bar Brisbane's exciting upcoming events including two Good Food Month events, the Hats Off Dinner and Night Noodle Markets, in July and special wine dinners and Harajuku pop up events in the coming months.

Maeda’s replacement is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.