The Team

Village Sake has assembled a truly great team.

Executive Chef Scott Whitman’s passion for Japanese food began while opening a restaurant in Osaka, Japan. He’s travelled through Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan exploring culture and cuisine and developing his unique cooking style. He earned a Michelin Star in 2007 & 2008 and was featured at the famed James Beard House in 2010 and 2014. Now, after 15 years as executive chef at the beloved Sushi Ran in Sausalito, he is excited to bring his unique style to Village Sake. 

Partnering with Chef Whitman is Scott Porter, a lifelong Fairfax resident and local firefighter with strong ties to the community. Our designer, Jim Maxwell of Architects II, helped us draw from the best elements of the classic Izakaya to develop a relaxed but refined atmosphere that exists nowhere else in Marin.

Consulting Manager Darrin Sander (Sushi Ran, Evangeline) of Eat Drink Works brought his management and service expertise to our operation. Darrin Sander honed our operations for our first 18 months. He's moved on to his own project, Craft & Gather, in Spokane Washington.

Our management team now consists of Scott Porter, Ying Chiu, and Hiromi Higuchi, a certified sake sommelier previously with Sushi Ran, Kusakabe and True Sake Store.